Of Moonlight and Cherry Blossoms
by Bai Hikari Tsubasa
Summary: Love, the fundamental element of life. A reconstruction of InuTaishou's life as the Lord of the Western Land till his meeting with Izayoi, and subsequently, his death.
1. 1: Of Wine and Celebration

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, all rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi and the respective producers.

EDIT: Finally, a re-upload of the chapters. I have not done a lot of revision other than re-arranging the chapters around because their order was messed up last time while I upload it. Please read and review! :)

* * *

Chapter 1: Of Wine and Celebration

"To health, to security amongst the Western Land and to our great leader, long live Inu no Taishou!" crowed a red-faced demon as he stood among the crowded mass of heaving bodies, lifting his plate of wine towards the sitting dog demon.

His salute was followed immediately by cheers, applauses and lifted wine plates as hundreds of grinning faces looked up. Sake* passed from hand to hand rapidly, the clear liquid flowing generously from its vessel into many warriors' stomachs. Wine plates clattered busily as their owners toast one another before downing the strong liquid, showing no sign of stoppage until they have truly drink their consciousness away.

Weaving in between the warriors were human servants carrying beverages and dishes, happily complying with the warriors' cuisine needs. Tonight, they were to give thanks to the warriors for protecting them once again. Had it not been for these muscle-packed demons now giddy with liquor, the villagers would have met their demise long ago.

The land that was partitioned off to the West – the Western Land – as it was more commonly referred as, functioned under a strange system: it was the only land where humans and demons coexist in harmony. The demons, superior in their physical abilities, were responsible for protecting the land and all its inhabitants; the humans, in turn, toiled the soil and coax it to life with vegetation and lifestocks. Yet despite the appearance of peace, occasional quarrels erupted, usually ending with the banishment of those who were audacious enough to challenge the laws.

The leaders of the Western Land, the household of the dog demons, have done an ample job on keeping unrest at bay. Leader after leader, generation after generation, the royal household had kept the land alive and prevented it from crumbling into chaos.

Touga – known as Inu no Taishou – beamed back at his warriors, relieved that the recent battle with the panther tribe had finally drawn its curtain. It was a fierce battle that raged for two days and one night. The panther tribe, both outnumbered and wearied, retreated back to their lands. It was an opportune retreat, since Touga's army was also reaching its limits. Notwithstanding, his throne and land had endured through another threat.

He would have likened to join in among some of his offers, to celebrate another hard won achievement. But he was ever conscious of the restraining hand of his wife, who was scowling since the start of the celebration. She was the mistress of the land, entitled to sit next to him and join him in overlooking the crowd.

Every time Touga made an attempt to join his officers, she would stealthily pinch his palm or clutch onto the folds of his sleeve, shaking her head ever so slightly (Touga wondered how she managed to keep her neck so still while moving only her head). Sometimes she would utter a low-frequency growl when it seemed like Touga would ignore her tactile warnings. She made it clear from the start that they would not partake in any of the activities, much less become part of the rowdy crowd.

"It's fine, darling, they are perfectly decent people," Touga soothed quietly to his wife, whose already pale skin seemed even paler under the moonlight. He could tell from her expression that she was tired from sitting there rigidly for hours.

The female dog demon slid her golden pupil across to his face, and then corrected in an icy voice, "_Adequately_ decent." She held up a finger – the only obvious gesture she had made since the start of the event – to stifle Touga's protest and continued on, "I would have you know that we would not be seen as part of such a filthy crowd. Just look at them," she tilted her head in a general direction towards the people, "those red drunken face and impish grin, protruding such blackened fangs. Look at those callused hands that are no better than shrunken mess of skins and bones! Or that amputated leg! Such coarseness is not for fine people like us. Our role is to sit and smile, to urge them on, that is all." A fold of her hands delicately across her lap as she sat straighter, "you are only going to defile Sesshoumaru's image by mingling with those people." She exhaled a barely imperceptible sigh at the end of her sentence, as if wearied by such a long speech.

Touga could only smile hopelessly. His wife was all about elegance and royalty, but that was what made her all the more appealing. He studied her closely: her abnormally fair skin held a deep contrast against his tan ones, but were similar in that both skins were broken by fine demonic lines carving illustriously across the surface, its dark purple splaying brazenly. Her hair and eyes, equally as silken and golden as his, shone eerily under the moonlight. Unconsciously, his mind traversed back a few years to where he first met her.

_The row of potential candidates filed into the empty room, lining themselves with perfect grace. They all wore their best attires, made from the finest silk and dyed brightly to attract attention. Each of them was the epitome of a masterpiece, so cleaned and kept. Even with the traditional loose gown of Japanese culture, the curves of their ripe body can scarcely be hidden. They were all well-bred and delicate creatures, prepared only for the height of worldly pleasures. Their role in life was to be pampered and married off, only to be pampered more. _

_They walked in – strides synchronized to one another – and lined themselves up. After that, they knelt down gracefully onto the wooden floor, the folds of their shirt falling in a halo around their bodies. They made a strange appearance: all demoness of well-known families from all over Japan, so different in their demonic markings and features, yet so similar in their attitude and aura. _

_It was then that Touga entered the room, trailed by his counselors. Immediately, all candidates lowered their head and uttered the greeting phrase that they took so much pain to learn. All had the same tone of voice, the same suppressed softness. All except one. _

_She stared boldly across the room, right into Touga's eyes. Although she was kneeling, her back was erect, and she held her head high like a Goddess surveying her creation. If the other women were clay statues, she would have been sculpted of ice. When their eyes met, she narrowed hers dangerously, as if daring him. _

_Immediately, Touga knew whom he would choose and pointed towards her, saying to his counselors, "She will be my bride." _

_Not long after – despite the protestations from his counselors who said she was 'beyond rude' – they were married. In a year or two, their first and only son was born. _

Up till now, Touga was still fond of his wife. She held an untouchable aura about her, the defiant look that seemed to stand against all odds. Touga smiled inwardly again and kissed her cheek gently. His wife, not in the slightness embarrassed (though slightly annoyed), pushed him equally gently away, motioning with a slight jerk of her head that they were under the sight of many people. Luckily enough, no one noticed the silent exchange between them, or else Touga would hear no end from his wife. Right after, she gestured with her hand that someone was approaching.

Touga turned to behold another pair of golden eyes that mirrored his own: that of his son, who strode towards them casually. His physical appearance leaned more towards his mother's, his face seemingly more feminine, having not acquired the masculine roughness that comes with age.

Aforementioned, he was striding towards his parents with a cool expression unmatched by any children of his age. Unfortunately, that chillness had won him a circle of envious 'enemies' rather than friends. Nonetheless, Sesshoumaru was not in the least perturbed by such a fact. Rather, he enjoyed watching his so-called enemies making attempts to ambush him. It always ended with the aggressors returning home with bruises and cuts, whilst Sesshoumaru emerged unscathed. What made it even better was the fact that their parents were lesser lords that dared not complain about his behaviors; hence he was able to do as he pleased.

Nearing his parents, he inclined his head slightly, saying in his young, tender voice, "greetings, Reverend father and mother."

"And what of my son this evening? Does he feel like joining the people?" Touga asked curiously, teasing his son and hoping that his son would agree, so that he would have an excuse of joining the crowd.

But the young demon merely replied with a "This Sesshoumaru will not join those filth." Even though he still spoke in a childish third person point of view, the content of his sentence was anything but. He placed himself beside his father, surveying the bodies beneath him with a bored expression. "How disgusting."

The smile on Touga's face froze.

He looked questioningly at his wife, who in turn diverted her attention elsewhere, pretending that she didn't notice his look.

Due to his busy schedule, Touga rarely had any time with his son. Internally, Touga admitted he was at fault for not taking his share of rearing his son, but there were other priorities. Therefore he left the job of teaching to his wife, who taught him many things, including how to use poison. She had been known for her unusual talent in the field of toxicity, allowing her to look-out for herself. It was only natural then that she taught Sesshoumaru what she knew.

Touga was not too particular on that subject though. In his opinion, poisons were shameful ways to defeat an enemy. Swords were more honorable and noble-looking. Yet Sesshoumaru didn't seem to be the type of demon that would go about waving a big sword; he had the demeanor of a cold-blooded killer. It would suit his image better if he waved around an elegant poison whip instead.

Another aspect that Touga noticed recently was Sesshoumaru's attitude towards others. He suspected that this new arrogance was a result of his wife's influence. He made a mental note to talk with her about it later.

"I see."

That was the only reply Touga came up with, and even he himself found it pathetically weak. But rather than trying to persuade his son, he opted to just leave the young demon be, hoping that in time, he can still amend his son's point of view.

He leaned back into the lush cushion of his seat – not without earning a reprimanding look from his wife –, compelled to ruffle his son's hair in a fatherly manner, but knowing all too well that Sesshoumaru detested such cuddly actions. Another aspect influenced by his wife.

He smiled contentedly up at the heavens. A son, a wife, a whole kingdom, what more was there to ask for?

Yet the thunder crashing in the far distance challenged him, foreboding troubled times in the future.

* * *

**A/N:**

Notes:

* Sake – Japanese wine, read as sah-keh.

The concept of "Sesshy's" mother teaching him poison had not been conjured by me. The idea was taken off a Chinese fanfiction which is just beyond amazing. I would love to acknowledge the author's brilliance had I not lost the link to it. :(

Last but not least, forgive me for my lack of knowledge in Japanese culture. Most of what is said here had been derived from an extension of imagination based on Chinese culture.


	2. 2:Of Winter and Thorns

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, those are the properties of Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.

Chapter 2: Of Winter and Thorns

It was dawn. Three days have transpired after the battle with the Panther tribe, and it was snowing lightly. White flakes floated down from the heavens, catching the rays of sunlight and bursting into hot white sparks of glitter as it fell. The sky was a gradient of dark grey towards light. The horizon was covered with ominous-looking clouds that threatened a snow storm. It was still, stale air, air that hung dead.

An atmosphere of tranquility descended over the palace. Two figures strode side by side in the back garden, now transformed into a wonderland of ice and snow. They were not in a hurry, as can be inferred from their languid pace.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with teaching him high culture and proper conducts," Sesshoumaru's mother said as she stopped midway, examining the frozen ground beside her. "Don't you think this land right now, the one covered with snow, is beautiful? Everything is frozen beneath a layer of coldness. They look dead." She tilted her head, waiting for her husband's response.

Touga, not in the least satisfied with her reason, continued on with his complaints, "I don't want him to become one of those arrogant, dim-witted princes that can't even bear a single prick. It is not fit for the future heir of the Western Land to be thus." He went beside his wife, cupping her tender face between his hands as he looked into her eyes. "Promise me that you won't turn our son on that path."

It was her turn to be unhappy. She made a scornful attempt at a twisted smile. The demoness turned away from her husband. "I would think that _you_ were the one that taught him the wrong things." She emphasized the _you_ with a slight touch of bitterness. "I was starting to worry that he would become unruly, no better than a peasant. Ah, look at those fat robins, perched so innocently on the tree. Would you want one as an appetizer…raw?" She hoped that the question would divert his attention away from the topic, sparing her from another ruined morning.

Touga flinched visibly. He made it clear before that if she were to stay in the Western Land, she would have to forgo her habit of consuming human meat. Thankfully, she had tolerated the land's laws, keeping well away from the villagers. But she had developed a keen habit of occasionally hunting some little animals and eating them raw. "I will pass for that. Back to the topic (the demoness's expression fell again), would you promise me, please?" He looked beseechingly at his wife. She had turned her back on him and was walking onwards alone.

"This is a hard thing you asked for. Why should I listen to you?"

Touga knew all too well that this was one of his wife's mood swings again. She was, after all, an aristocrat. It was natural for her to throw a tantrum and for her servants to take the brunt of the anger. Alas, he would have to cajole her again as he always did in case she decided to destroy the entire hallway like last time. "Now, now, I am just saying this in the best interest of our son. It would be nice that he remained an elegant prince, like what you wanted, but don't you think he should have...to be more sociable and physically fitter to be the future heir of the Western Land? Hmm?"

"Tut tut. First of all, a 'prince' need not be confined by the needs to be _sociable_ to his servants. He orders them around. That's what servants are for after all. If you become too nice to them, they start to take advantage of it. Secondly, on the issue of 'fitness', Sesshoumaru is stronger than most demon child of his age. I can prove that to you." She gestured for him to follow her.

They went through a few winding paths in the garden, screened by the overhanging willow trees. One of the few wonders of watching the couple walk was that they rarely left a footprint in the snow. It almost seemed as if they were gliding across the land, so stealthy and silent that even the nesting birds did not notice. Once again, Touga could not help but be reminded of a time when they reveled in that silence, dancing through the sleeping world.

_It was the first night of their wedding, and young as they were, Touga and his bride fled out into the starlit night.__It was winter then. They conducted a courtship dance, with the bride dancing and darting among shadows of__crystallized__trees, while Touga chased her, equally light and nimble. Despite what seemed to be cumbersome clothing for normal people, the two were able__to prance in it. In fact, the clothing added a more ethereal effect to them. It swirled around them in a dizzying eddy of folds and wrinkles, sometimes flapping freely, other times bunched into a coil. _

_In that moment, they were two immortals, untouchable under the gentle light of the moon. Every now and then, to by-passers, they would seem like ghosts from the past, appearing and disappearing amongst the forest trees._

_He was young then and he was captured in the midst of a curious thing called love – or so he thought at that time. To him, the world was dazzling. For a moment, Touga forgot about his duties as the Lord of the Western Land. He fancied that he could even live the rest of his life in a rural area with his wife. They would start a family, and their family would grow. Then they would have a patch of land for sowing, and that land would be fertile too. _

_But as quickly as that thought entered Touga's mind, it left just as quickly too. The reality was yet too harsh. Touga knew that if he were to abandon his seat, the land would fall in pieces, and there would be a bloody massacre between the humans and the demons. He would have to be present on the throne to ensure that nothing of that sort would come to pass. And he would have to live out his days sacrificing all his freedom and needs for that of the land's. Ah, such was the life of a great leader. The great responsibility that one had to carry was almost unbearable at times. But all in good times, all in good times. Touga was already getting used to such a life. That was why he had such a strong wife beside him, to support him through thick and thin._

"Here we are," the demoness smiled as she halted again, breaking Touga out of his trance.

Before them was a whimpering full-grown demon. They could hear him begging for mercy, but it was vague at best, what with all the sobbing. The source of his distress stood a few meters away, eyeing him coolly.

"What in the name of heavens is this?" Touga bellowed as he saw one of his most faithful counselors being used as target practice.

The poor demon was naked on the top and scars covered his back. Those were not just simple sword-cut scars; the fleshes around the scars were dissolving under what seemed suspiciously like green smoke.

Sesshoumaru shifted his eyes slightly to his father, then back to his target. "I was training," came the short reply. No emotions. No hint of remorse.

Touga was fuming slightly, though he managed to stem his own curt reply. It would not do any good to reprimand his son in front of the public. He turned his head towards his wife, who was apparently enjoying the scene. She returned his stare with twinkling eyes that said _see how good he is? __Her lips curved into a tiny smirk-smile, its dark red taunting Touga. _

"You see, I told you that Sesshoumaru is stronger that most demon child – no, even those who are older than him cannot overpower him." She replied. "Come on Sesshoumaru; give your mother a hug. You were brilliant in your training." She stretched her hands wide, only to be met with another cold stare.

"Do you expect this Sesshoumaru to perform a human's act of intimacy? To cry and fall into your arms?" Sesshoumaru said with half mirth and half scorn. The smile on his mother's face tightened, but she hid it by standing up nonchalantly and acting as if nothing had happened.

Sesshoumaru advanced towards the whimpering demon, nails gleaming a pale yellowish green.

Touga stepped in between, holding Sesshoumaru's slender wrist and pressing his hands downwards, forcing Sesshoumaru to twist uncomfortably.

"Enough Sesshoumaru, stop this 'training'." Touga said firmly, letting go of his son's hand only when he was sure that the young demon would not continue to mutilate his poor counselor. "And you, go get some medicine for that wound." The counselor bowed his head gratefully and scrambled off, glad to be out of Sesshoumaru's presence.

Sesshoumaru watched in disdain as his target disappear amidst the willow trees, all the time standing as still as a statue. Despite his coldness, he was still a child, slender and pale under the sunlight. However, he was also akin to a rose with hidden thorns. Those who dared to pick up such a rose by the stem would be cut. He was well-known for his cool demeanor, and his unnerving power to scare demons away just by his stares alone.

Like any father, Touga was proud of his son, but at the same time worried that his son was not acting like any ordinary child should. Weren't children his age supposed to play outdoors and enjoy basking in their mother's attention? Weren't children supposed to be full of naivety and sunlight? He wished that Sesshoumaru would display childish actions from time to time; after all, what is the fun of playing with a child that did not even smile? He sighed deeply and scratched his head as he made a decision. "I guess...I would have to spend a few days with you, Sesshoumaru."


	3. Of Practice and Disturbance

Disclaimer: InuYasha do not belong to me, the anime/manga is a property of Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise

Chapter 3: Of Practice and Disturbance

Touga has to admit that being a perfect father was harder than he thought. He had tried his best to find time in his packed schedule to spend with Sesshoumaru, but no matter what he did, his son was never pleased. Strolling together, eating together, watching the stars and much more. Little actions that would otherwise satisfy younger children went unnoticed by his son.

Touga truly did not know what his son was interested in. In the end, he sought out his wife for guidance.

"Hmmm…as far as I can tell, Sesshoumaru has a love for conquering. Spending father and son time with him is the last thing you want to do. Why not spend some time practicing with him? I'm sure he wants to see how much he compares to you now." His wife advised with a sly glint in her eyes, silently goading her husband.

Touga took up the advice and arranged for a practice session with his son. Together they traveled towards a hidden cave residing beneath the foot of Mount Ame*.

The mountain was named after its abnormal daily precipitation, ranging from mild drizzle to raging storms. Due to its unfavorable climates, human civilization ceased to exist in that area for decades. However, it was an ideal location for demons and creatures adapted to the turbulent conditions. It was because of this that the mountain possessed an evil reputation, and only monks or priests of the highest order dare passed by the location.

It was also the perfect location for practice, with no disturbance whatsoever from the humankind.

Today, Touga had a mission: to learn more about his son and understand the child beneath the cold, hard exterior. After a night of meditation, he realized that his wife was right. The only way he could close the distance of parent and child was to take Sesshoumaru for practice. Not only because Sesshoumaru's sole interest was in fighting, but also as a chance for him to put his son back into place. He knew Sesshoumaru was getting stronger, but also more arrogant at the same time, which was a characteristic that needed to be nipped off at the bud before it develops further.

Along the road, Touga attempted to initiate or provide prompts for friendly conversations, but was always met with silence and an unmistakable aura of annoyance from his son. That only fueled his inner desire to teach Sesshoumaru a lesson about respecting elders and becoming more social. The rest of the journey was spent in silence, one fuming, the other quite indifferent.

Within no time, the gaping mouth of the cave opened before them, like a beast waiting for unsuspecting preys to enter.

As they proceeded into the cave, the shadows on the walls intensified. The dripping darkness curled slowly around the two figures, merging itself with the stones on the floor. Echoes followed suit, sometimes issuing from the rustle of the two's clothing – a dry, thin crisping sound – sometimes coming from unknown sources deeper within the cave. A few owlish eyes blinked back at them sleepily without any hostility, and then flicked close again when the two passed by.

After awhile, Touga spied a marker etched into the rock and turned right into a spacious tunnel. The tunnel was lit strangely by fluorescent microorganisms in the ceiling, providing thin light for its inhabitant.

Upon entering some distance into the tunnel, he turned and regarded Sesshoumaru.

"Just so that you know, today's practice is for me to see how much you have improved since we last practice," _–which was a long time ago_, thought Touga – "I give you until sunset today to force my hand to touch the ground once. If you still cannot do that, you are to go back, apologize to my subordinates and learn how to be more humble with your attitude."

"Hmph," Sesshoumaru grunted a short reply. He doubted that he needed that much time to make his father touch the ground once.

* * *

By the end of three hours, Sesshoumaru was still struggling to keep up with his father's speed, much less trying to force his father's hand to touch the ground. Every time he was about to reach Touga, Touga's silhouette would dart off into the shadows and appear again a few distance away.

It was frustrating, because Sesshoumaru could feel his father's smirk in the darkness, always mocking how little he had improved. However, that was not so. Sesshoumaru had always trained hard with his mother, and had dramatically increased his strength and speed. In fact, he had out-sped many of the demons working around the palace. His only mistake was becoming overly arrogant and underestimating his father's true power.

"Tsk tsk. Not only are you too slow, but you have just spent most of your energy in pulling up your speed. Shouldn't you consider other strategies?" Touga smiled as he easily sidestepped another close encounter with his son. He had purposefully allowed the younger demon to come within reach of him before darting off, just to spite Sesshoumaru.

"Hmph."

'_There he goes again, that stubborn attitude of his that would be his downfall sooner or later,' _Touga thought to himself in exasperation.

With each passing minute, it became obvious that Sesshoumaru was spending too much of his leftover energy to catch up with his father. The tunnel, though spacious, was confining his movements significantly, and the uneven and slippery ground made it even harder to move. For a moment, Sesshoumaru almost slipped in his blind rage, but he quickly regained his balance and pursued on.

Finally, he grudgingly admitted that he would never be able to match his father's speed. Instead, his speed was only decreasing the longer he chased his father.

Sesshoumaru stopped. Likewise, Touga also stopped.

"Eh? Changed your tactic?" Touga asked, curious as to what Sesshoumaru would do next.

"Yes, father." Sesshoumaru growled as his claws glowed a sickening green color in the dark.

Touga recognized it as the same poison claw that his wife used from time to time during her tantrums. It was a disappointment that Sesshoumaru have taken on poison attacks as dog demons in his household have always chosen the swords. Although poison attacks were rare, it was nonetheless associated with low status in the dog demon tribe due to the reason that demons who used poison generally like to attack through underhanded means.

Sesshoumaru charged again towards Touga. This time the poison whip shot out and swung wildly. Because the tunnel was limited in space, the whip covered the whole portion of the tunnel, dissolving rock and ground likewise. A few bats got startled out of their sleep and flew around wildly, shrieking frantically in the darkness, adding to the chaos.

"Oh dear," Touga muttered. As the whip neared him, he finally resolved to draw his sword to prevent being dissolved. "Let me show you what an heir of the dog demon tribe should do."

With a swift stroke, Touga created a wind that pushed Sesshoumaru back. Although this was only the preliminary to Kaze no Kizu, he managed to blow Sesshoumaru away to the mouth of the tunnel.

That was unintended.

Touga never knew that Sesshoumaru could not withstand even a mild wind. _What if I were to use Kaze no kizu just now?_ He wondered to himself. Surely Sesshoumaru would be in bad shape if he were to do so.

"Sorry Se–" Touga ran up to his son, only to realize that Sesshoumaru had worked himself into a frenzied rage. The characteristic red eye before a transformation was apparent on Sesshoumaru's face. The streaks across his face increased in size and merged together as one. He snarled at his father when he got too close.

Just as things were to get out of control, Touga suddenly jerked his head up. He sniffed the air carefully and his eyes narrowed.

At first Sesshoumaru did not comprehend what his father was doing. Then an odor struck him. It was faint, but undeniably the smell of moth powder was in the air. He could also hear the sound of thousands of little wings fluttering. He looked quizzically back at his father.

"Sesshoumaru, we better hurry back." Touga announced shortly after a pause, at the same time speeding towards the mouth of the cave. He was slowly transforming back into his dog demon form, and upon exiting the cave, flew off in the direction of the palace.

* * *

"You're back," Sesshoumaru's mother said. She was looking off into the distant sky which was darkening rapidly into purple. "Menomaru is here again." Her bored tone suggested that she was already used to having surprise attacks at her front door.

"I know," Touga replied, standing alongside his wife. "Last time he was defeated and went back to regroup his armada. This time I see he brought with him more demons."

Sesshoumaru stood behind them. He had never heard of Menomaru before, it was probably one of his father's old nemesis. He had heard stories of how his father battled numerous demons from all over Japan and China, always leading his people to victory. However, Sesshoumaru rarely saw his father in battle. Most of the time, he was kept inside the palace as his father led the army out onto the battle ground, away from his sight.

He perked his ear slightly when he heard a demon running in his direction. He recognized that demon as the red-faced one that cheered during the celebration when they celebrate the victory over the panther tribe. The demon caught sight of Sesshoumaru and bowed quickly, and then resumed to kneel in front of Touga.

"Lord Touga, I have sent scouts to investigate. They said that Menomaru had collected over a thousand of little demons with him. The army was split into nine factions, with each faction led by a stronger demon. From the looks of things, Menomaru wanted to do a direct attack to force down the palace."

Touga frowned slightly. "How many available soldiers do we have now on our part?"

"Around two hundred fifty strong, the rest had been scattered to perform various duties. I have sent messengers to inform them and they will be hurrying back soon." The red-faced demon shifted nervously, acknowledging the lack of helping hands on their side.

"No worries. I have battled them before and I know their ways. Listen and learn, Sesshoumaru. When outnumbered, the best way is to take down the leader and the demons of the higher order. The moment they are taken down, the rest of the army will fall into chaos. They rely too much on their leaders." Touga turned to his general. "Prepare our army. Tell them that their main objective is to take down the nine demons that are in charge of the nine factions, none other. As for Menomaru, I'll handle him myself." That said, he flashed a smile to his wife and disappeared down the hallway.

"Remember, don't come back with blood all over you or I'll deny your entry!" Touga's wife called out to his back. After Touga's shadow disappeared, she yawned and returned to her room. Suddenly, she popped her head from the bedroom door: "Sesshoumaru, don't stay out there too long. The odor of war is going to sting your sense of smell."

**A/N:**

* Ame: Rain


	4. Of Battle and Victory

Disclaimer: InuYasha do not belong to me. He is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise

Chapter 4: Of Battle and Conquer

"Fan out to the sides and advance!"

The order was repeated across the army of two hundred fifty. Demon soldiers organized themselves in a semi-crescent shape with the short-distance fighters located at the forefront whilst long-range fighters covered the back. The long-range soldiers were responsible for the line of defense. They hail their attacks down upon the enemy to keep them in check while the short distance fighters advance for the kill.

The army pressed forward over the land like a black mass of ants. The strategy was to move the attention of the battle away from the palace so that no damage can come to the human occupants nearby. Since Menomaru's army was all airborne, Touga's army decided to carry out the battle over a mountainous region, where the terrains can provide a shield for them.

"They are approaching heads-on, sir," one of the nine faction leaders commented. "Surprisingly, they have less people that I thought. I'll wager that there are only two hundred demons there."

"And I, two hundred fifty!" Another leader hollered from the right. "Let's see who will be the winner of this bet!" The two leaders jostled each other in a friendly manner and swore upon their ancestors that they will make the opposing army pay, down to the 'very flea on the dog's back.'

"Do not underestimate them," Menomaru grunted irritatingly at his subordinates. He rubbed the scar on the back of his hand absentmindedly. That was the scar left by his father hundreds of years ago during a raging battle with Touga. He remembered the scene back then clearly.

_"Father!"__a younger version of Menomaru, merely a teenage in youkai terms then, struggled as he watched his father battle against the dog demon. He was bogged down by the demons from Touga's army, and all the youngster could do was slash left and right in a frenzied manner. _

_That was his first battle, and one that he will never forget. _

_Like him, Touga was also young back then, but the dog demon had already earned a significant amount of reputation amongst the foreign lands for his leadership._

_The difference in prowess between the two great demons became apparent. Although Menomaru's father had inherited the powers from his ancestors, his attacks were eroded with age. Currently, he was defending himself desperately as Touga attacked. He flew back a few distances as Touga hit him squarely across the stomach._

_Seizing this chance, Touga did not hesitate to leap forward and bite the right wing, successfully immobilizing his opponent. The moth demon flapped his left wing rapidly, trying to regain his lost balance as Touga shook his body around. He beat fruitlessly at Touga's muzzle. It worked; the powder from his wings caused Touga to sneeze and release the grip on the right wing._

_"Father!" Menomaru shouted again as he freed himself from the surrounding demons and flew to his father's side. However, his father swept him aside. In the course of doing so, his father accidentally scratched Menomaru's hand, laying a scar across. He tumbled onto a bush, quite confuse and dizzy. The last thing he remembered was watching his father summon the last of his strength against Touga, only to have Touga plunged a claw into his father's chest._

_Later on, Menomaru awoke, back in his own land. His servants were mourning for the death of their leader. Menomaru was still numb then, but he gathered that Touga had managed to seal his father's powers while his soldiers brought him back to China._

_"Lord Menomaru. I hope you understand that you are to be the next successor." Hari commented as she knelt beside him. "Allow Ruri and me to serve you from now on."_

"Lord Menomaru, does your scar hurt?" Hari inquired. She was riding on a demon with Ruri, closely tailing her master.

"Nonsense, keep moving." Menomaru averted his eyes towards the dog demon silhouetted in the distance. It had been ages since they last met and he intended to repay the dog demon in full.

Suddenly, Touga's army was veiled by a thick mist.

Only then did Menomaru realize too late that they were nearing a mountainous region and that the humidity was gathering around the mountain peaks. Both of their army would be hidden from view; however, Touga had the upper hand because his people were more accustomed to the geography. He could hear the sounds of movements below him and knew that Touga's army was planning to use the nooks and crevices of the mountain as a hideout.

"Fools," Menomaru muttered as he swept his wings in big strokes. The mist was swept aside by the wind he created and the rocks below lay bare. However, he did not see any sign of Touga's army nor their leader. Nonetheless, he could sense their presence below, hiding skillfully amongst the rocks. "Stay at this altitude! The ground army would not be able to attack us from this height!" Menomaru hollered.

"Lord Menomaru, above!" Ruri shouted as a shadow covered the land.

Menomaru looked up and saw Touga's immense bulk descending upon him. Somehow the dog demon had managed to fly above him while he was occupied with fanning the mist away. He was surprised that Touga had climbed above him without any of his soldiers noticing.

"It is time that I settle this revenge!" Menomaru snarled as he flew up to greet the incoming dog demon. The two great demons clashed against each other, rolling over and plummeting onto the grounds. Menomaru happened to be on top of Touga, and was eager to crash Touga to the mountain ridges below. However, Touga placed all four of his paws against Menomaru's body and gave a powerful kick that detached the both of them. They separated temporarily to two sides before rushing at each other again.

This time Menomaru only dealt a somewhat feeble punch to Touga's abdomen before he felt Touga's fangs clamp tightly onto the back of his neck. What saved him from being choked to death by the dog demon was his thick fur. Nonetheless, the pain was mind-rending and he flew in mindless circles in an attempt to shake loose of the dog demon. He did what his father once did – release a sudden burst of powder that irritated Touga's eyes. It worked once again. He was able to escape a close encounter with the dog demon. He realized by then that he had the lower hand in terms of close combat. His advantage was his ability to make quick diving turns with his wing as a form of wind-breaker.

Touga stabled himself and glided straight towards Menomaru in a charge. At the last moment before the two bodies hit, Menomaru folded his wings and dropped swiftly towards the ground, tempting the dog demon to do the same.

"Engage in battle!" Menomaru hailed to his army at the same time, which organized themselves and began raining attacks upon the mountain rocks below. Although this was not necessarily useful in terms of harming Touga's army, it would temporarily keep Touga's army from assisting their leader.

Touga took the bait and pursued Menomaru, allowing gravity to take hold of his huge form as he plummeted down towards the moth demon.

Nearing the peaks of the mountain, Menomaru executed a clever maneuver, tipping his wings just so slightly as to allow him to weave his way amongst the rocks and to avoid his army's attacks at the same time.

This time the dog demon did not fare as well. Touga realized too late Menomaru's tricks, and barely stopped in time from crashing atop a sharp peak. In trying to stall himself, Touga was scalded by some of the attacks from Menomaru's army, the poison of which singed his fur.

"Dog demon, where are you looking?"

Touga looked up in alarm as Menomaru drove his claws unto his abdomen, eliciting painful spikes along his body. The moth demon grinned gleefully as he tore his claws out from Touga's appendage, and then drive it again inside the same wound. Blood splattered freely around them.

"My lord!" The same red-face demon that served Touga faithfully barged into sight, throwing himself upon the moth's eye. This time it was Menomaru's turn to swerve about, cursing and trying to shake loose of the demon.

"My lord, save yourself!" The red-face demon shouted desperately as he held on. He glanced back towards Touga, who was breathing heavily and using the mountain ridge as support. The dog demon was transforming slowly back towards his humanoid form to conserve energy. Much to his despair, he also saw Menomaru's army averting their attention upon his lord.

"The lord is in danger!" Cries ran out through the mountain as Touga's meager army of two hundred fifty emerged, regardless of the overwhelming attacks that were hailed upon them. They abandoned their positions in the mountain and forgot about the original plan of taking down the nine faction leaders in their rush to rescue their lord. Many smaller, lower-ranking demons keeled over as they were hit. The stronger ones disregard their wounds and made their way towards Touga's side. They flanked their leader and form a protective sphere around him.

"Fools!" Menomaru cursed as he plucked the red-face demon away, crushing him and disposing him on the grounds.

"Reinforcements! Reinforcements!" A sudden shout rang out, and as expected, more of Touga's army came back just in time. They descended from behind Menomaru's army, catching many of the enemy in surprise. The scene was of utmost chaos, with Menomaru's army "sandwiched" between Touga's.

Menomaru ignored the cries of his shocked and enraged army as he made a dive for the sphere where Touga was hidden. He was only interest in the dog demon and nothing would stop him from achieving his victory. He was so close. He swung the demons away, only to have more filled in their gap. "Curse you! Come out you wretched dog! Do not hide behind your army like a baby!" The moth demon shouted unceasingly as he attacked the demons.

Just as suddenly as Touga's reinforcements arrived, the demons that formed the outer sphere parted, showing their leader standing in the midst. Touga was holding onto Tessaiga as wind rushed in to coil around the blade tip, creating a vacuum between Menomaru and him.

"Kaze no kizu!" Touga shouted as he swung his sword, slicing the air around him and effectively slicing Menomaru's body.

_An hour later_...

All evidence that was left of the battle earlier were the dead corpses of both army that strewn the mountain and plains. There were a few demons about, collecting the dead bodies of their fallen comrades and desecrating those of their enemy.

After Touga had hit Menomaru with Kaze no Kizu, the moth demon was barely alive. He only managed to struggle and fly haphazardly towards the direction of his country. His army retreated obediently. Touga's army would have fought on had it not been for the fact that Touga stopped them, unwilling to let more soldiers sacrifice themselves upon the battlefield. With that said, Touga swooned and fell unconscious. His soldiers crowded around him, realizing then the dire situation that their lord was in. Soon after, Touga was transported back towards his palace where he received proper healing.


	5. Sign of Affection?

Chapter 5: Sign of Affection?

Grey clouds overshadowed the sky ominously. There was a light drizzle outside the palace for two days, reflecting the solemn mood inside the palace. The villages nearby rested in sepulchral silence: households don on white tapestries by their doorway in recognition of the ongoing-funeral. The smell of incense permeated the air.

Inside the palace, cries of despair, songs of lamentations, monotonous chants of priests and rings of wooden mallets striking were heard. They created a strange sort of orchestra, sometimes like the garbled voice of a huge demon, other times melodious in a melancholic sense.

Maidens wearing white robes walked about in assigned hours, casting white petals on the grounds or sprinkling sweet water upon passersby. There were those that moan, and those that wailed their sorrows openly. Servants bustled about in and out of rooms, sometimes carrying clothing, other times food. Aside in the courtyard, a group of older women stood in a circle, burning paper-made shirts and money in the hopes that souls in the underworld would be able to use it. They watched as the paper crackled and burned to ash, compiling at the bottom of the fire pit.

"I don't get what all these fusses are about," Sesshoumaru's mother commented dryly as she mindlessly scattered some paper money unto the hungry fire. The flames licked and consumed the paper, begging for more. The usually ornate lady was now dressed in plain white folds with her hair down and her make-up removed (much to her disapproval).

"My lady, it is the custom to pay respect to those who had passed on in battle," a nearby attendant remarked courteously.

The demoness sighed, apparently bored with the whole affair, "A ritual for the dead? Why, those ruckuses that the women and priests are making are enough to wake the dead! Order them to tone down their voices!" She flicked her hand in a dismissive manner, willing her attendant to carry out her order.

"Stop...let them be...it is the custom..." A weak but audible voice interjected. It came from the bedside where Touga was lying, still fatigued from the battle. His wounds were healing relatively slow due to the toxic in Menomaru's claws.

The demoness moved to sit by his side, glancing at him casually with her piercing eyes. "I was wondering when you will wake. If you continue to sleep like that for one more day, I'll let you join the mass of coffins there." Although her humor was cold, her tone was slightly softer than before, indicating a level of concern for her husband.

Touga caught on to the hidden gentleness, and patted her hands lightly. "But my spirit will continue to be by your side." He smiled as his wife removed her hands promptly in an agitated manner, flustered that she should be caught in such an intimate act between husband and wife. He chuckled softly as his wife glared at the attendant who was standing at the side, amused. "Ignore her...I missed Sesshoumaru and you so much...I couldn't help but worry if I'll ever see...you again..."

"It is only two days since the battle, what is there to miss?" The demoness retorted ungracefully, assured now that her husband was on the right route to recovery. "There is much yet to do, so you better heal soon!" With that said the demoness slid off the bedside and exited the room.

Touga turned slightly and noticed a small white tuft of fur peeking out from the folds of the curtain by the doorway. Despite his injuries, he grinned. "You know, you can come in. I am not going to eat you." The white tuft of fur jerked in surprise and darted out of sight, but Touga knew 'it' was still there. "Sesshoumaru, stop being a child and come out now." Only then did Sesshoumaru resolved to come out, proving to his father that he is not the 'child' that his father thought he was.

"Morning, most Reverend Father. This Sesshoumaru perceived that you have healed quite well." What Sesshoumaru also perceived was his father's mock attempt at a blanching face in response to his coldness.

"Come on Sesshoumaru, at least show some enthusiasm or concern for your father here. Don't stand so far away." Touga's last comment was referring to how his son was standing at least five meters away from the bed. Sesshoumaru shifted only so slightly towards his direction. "Tell me, son, were you worried about me when you heard that I was wounded?" There was a slight raise in Sesshoumaru's eyebrow.

"Did your mother spoke to you about her anxiety for me?" Touga received a blank look.

"Did you learn any new war tactics from that battle?" Sesshoumaru nodded slightly to indicate an arbitrary yes.

By then, Touga was truly frustrated with his son's aloofness. The boy was barely looking at him when he asked the questions. "Why do you never answer me?"

Sesshoumaru cocked his head ever so slightly, "Answer?"

"Yes, answer! How are we, as a family, ever going to progress if every time I managed to see you, you only reply by the slightest physical or verbal actions? Sometimes you don't even evince any reaction at all!" Need not said, Touga's voice was elevated by a few notches then.

"Family progression?"

"Oh, now you are mocking me like a parrot. 'Family progression'?" Touga imitated Sesshoumaru's tone of voice. "Family progression indeed! To tell the truth, sometimes I am just disappointed in you." Touga sucked in a big breath to steady his breathing. "You can leave now. I am sorry for ranting at you just now, I am just tired. Let me rest." The demon shaded his hands over his eyes, partly despaired by the remoteness of his family, partly surprised at his own outburst.

Sesshoumaru stood up and turned to leave. Before he stepped out of the doorway, he murmured so softly that Touga thought his auditory sense was giving him hallucinations:

"I am sorry to have disappointed you, Father."


	6. Of Fantasies and Secrets

Chapter 6: Of Fantasies and Secrets

"Izayoi-sama! Izayoi-sama!" Two girls ran about the winding maze of hallways, calling out frantically. Their master was nowhere to be seen.

"We should just report to the Lord that we can't find her," the older of the two girls said nervously.

"But the Lord is not in a mood now to tolerate his daughter's absence. Why not split up the search?" the younger of the two replied. The older girl agreed and they both separated.

The younger girl knew all too well where the Lord's daughter was. She was Izayoi's personal attendant, and had been serving her master ever since the mere age of nine. Knowing her master, she would probably find her in _the _forest.

Said forest surrounded the palace, stretching in an unending sea of verdant green till the horizon. Although the forest was known to be infested with unwanted creatures, Izayoi still find it an appealing place to be. It was the only location where she could escape the overbearing attention of the palace servants and her father's harsh control.

"Izayoi-sama!" Izayoi's attendant stopped in the middle of a clearing. She trained her eyes around the layers of snow. Finally, she saw the shadow of another girl walking in the distance.

"Izayoi-sama!"

Izayoi stopped. She thought she heard someone calling her name far away. Then she spotted a silhouette rushing towards her. She recognized that silhouette.

"Izayoi-sama, the Lord is looking for you!" The attendant said in exasperation. "He said that the matchmaker has found another new match for you." She watched the princess's face turned from bright sunshine to ashen grey.

"Not again," Izayoi exhaled. "Tell me this isn't the Lord of some other land that I haven't even heard of." When she saw that her attendant remained silent, she continued on, "I wonder how hard is it to make father understand that I wanted to find my own match."

"Pardon for my intrusion, lady, but you don't happen to be thinking about that silver-haired man again?" The attendant looked up suspiciously.

"Ah yes! Why, how would you know the man of my dreams?" Izayoi clapped her hands together cheerfully, for the moment delighted that her attendant should know about her fantasy too. The young girl was the only one that Izayoi could entrust with her secret since they had known each other for a long time. "Yes, the man with the silver hair. And if I remember correctly in my dreams, he has stunning golden eyes too."

"Izayoi-sama, I heard you mentioning him during your sleep. You had been dreaming of him ever since you got lost three years ago in this forest. It must be some manifestation of the horrid event," the attendant shifted her foot nervously. "You know what they say about this forest."

"Nonsense, how can such a beautiful man be a horrid event?" Izayoi countered.

"This forest used to be haunted by demons before the Lord assigned priests and priestesses to set up a barrier," the attendant muttered. "Even now, there are still reports of occasional demons passing by, though none of them are foolish enough to breach the barriers."

"Oh that is quite enough. I will visit father now before you start babbling about demons again." Izayoi smiled and strode off, leaving her attendant trailing behind her. She had certainly heard about demons before, and no doubt believed in their presence. In fact, she was quite sure that she encountered them before when she was lost three years ago in the forest. She was also quite certain that the silver-haired man in her dreams was a demon of some sorts; but somehow her memories would not drudge up any details of what exactly happened.

~ooOoo~

"Father, I'm here," Izayoi entered a lavishly furnished room. She spotted her father not far off, accompanied by two other men, one old and the other young. _About my age_, Izayoi thought to herself as she glanced surreptitiously at the younger man. She cursed inwardly for not being able to study the man's face in detail, seeing as women were not allowed to look at men directly. In fact, she was considered lucky since she was allowed to be in the same room as her suitors before her father made a choice. Other noble women of her rank only met their husband for the first time when they were married.

Her father looked up from his conversation with the other man. "Ah yes, here she is. Izayoi, please meet Lord XXX* and his son; they are our long time trading partner." He indicated the two men next to him.

"Good morning," Izayoi bowed humbly and resume a seat beside her father, her eyes still on the ground.

"See, I told you she is gorgeous, just like her mother," The other lord smiled to his son. "She will be a perfect bride for you."

At this, Izayoi froze. It was one thing to be complimented as beautiful, but she hated it when people reminded her of her deceased mother. It was then that she chanced a closer look at the beaming young man from under her eyelashes, who was no doubt overjoyed by the news. He was, admittedly, good-looking, but not at all the type that she liked. His frame was thin, and he looked cowardly and weak. Izayoi shivered inwardly and hoped that this suitor would just drop the match, like all the others that preceded him.

Time flew by as the three men conversed. Izayoi sat there numbly, as was expected of ladies of that time period. Ladies back then cannot participate in men's conversations.

Izayoi bit her lower lips gently. These practices often reminded her of how powerless she was, a mere woman amongst a world of men. Although she was her father's treasure, Izayoi had never felt any real freedom. If only her father would understand the man of her dreams...

~ooOOoo~

"He would never understand, nor would he try to," Izayoi muttered, her eyes red from tears. Her attendant was sitting beside her, fanning her with an intricate paper fan while trying to calm her down.

_During the meeting that afternoon, Izayoi found herself lost in her own thoughts and fantasies (well, who could blame her for taking a detour mentally when she was not allowed to do anything else?). In the course of dreaming, Izayoi accidentally said, "if only I could marry that demon lord."_

_It was merely a whisper, but somehow everyone caught it. _

_A deathly silence descended upon the room. Lord XXX was alarmed and his son was speechless._

_"What did she just say?" Lord XXX managed to gasp out finally._

_"My friend, please do not misunderstand. Izayoi had been quite 'disturbed' ever since she was lost in the forest three years ago. She had been encountering frequent hallucinations since then, but worry not, it is only a child's fantasy. She would grow out of it soon." Izayoi's father explained immediately, casting infuriated glares at his daughter that promised a good lecture._

_In the end, Lord XXX said he would consider the marriage, and left in a hurry. Obviously, he had no intention of letting his son marry a woman who had hallucinations about demons._

_"You foiled it again! You did that every single time you meet a match! I am starting to think that you did it on purpose! I would consider myself lucky if they even decided to trade with us after this!" Izayoi's father bellowed, and continued to do so even though Izayoi apologized and pleaded for him to stop._

_Finally, exhausted from his ranting, Izayoi's father asked for her to be pent up in her own room. "It will do her good to meditate by herself," was his conclusion._

"The lord was worried for you, Izayoi-sama. If you do not marry soon, you will be past marriage age." The attendant whispered as she helped Izayoi into a looser kimono used for sleeping.

"I understand that, but it would be nice if he would understand me too," Izayoi muttered as she went to sleep. Her attendant bid her goodnight and left the room.

Izayoi listened quietly to the fading sound of her attendant's footsteps. As soon as she was alone, she sat up again. She casted aside her bed sheets and tapped the wooden walls of her room quietly. She scaled the whole wall before finding the right spot, a small corner of the room that produced a hollow sound when she knocked on it. Carefully, she pried the ends of a wooden board and was awarded when a piece yielded under fingers, letting in fresh night air. After casting glances around the room and making sure that she had not startled anyone, she managed to cram herself through the hole and into the outside world. After that, she replaced the board and walked off into the forest for a leisurely stroll, hoping to immerse herself in her fantasies again.

**Author's Note:**

* I referred to the Lord as XXX because I don't know what a suitable Japanese noble family name should be.


	7. Of Threat and Peril

Disclaimer: InuYasha does not belong to me, he is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.

Chapter 7: Of Threats and Peril

It was Takemaru's turn to be on duty and patrol the castle grounds. Although he had circled the interior of the castle, he thought he could go further and also survey the forest.

He had never liked the forest. It was exactly three years ago in the same forest when his princess started dreaming strange dreams, which she would not reveal to anyone. He suspected that the personal attendant knew something about the contents of the dream, but no matter how he grilled the girl, she would not yield any information.

Takemaru had not been on the scene three years ago, but from what he heard, the princess stole out one day. Usually, none of the servants were worried because the princess was well known for her adventurous endeavors. But when the sun started gliding downwards to merge into the horizon and the princess was nowhere to be seen, people started worrying.

It was night when they found the princess, who was pale and clutching onto her torn robes. The uncanny aspect was that the princess did not seem to be afraid, but rather, a sort of calm ascended her. She returned to the castle afterwards, mute and tranquil.

For the whole week, her father interrogated her, and no matter what he asked, the princess's reply was always the same: she had gone out on one of her walks, encountered a demon that wanted to kill her, but was saved later. However, the details of the attack and rescue were vague; the princess did not remember the whole process. The lord resolved to call exorcists to help cleanse the princess's mind, yet the exorcists said that they couldn't do so, for the princess was not tainted spiritually in any way.

Takemaru, who had experience with battling demons, speculated that the princess had encountered two demons, not spirits of any sort. What he did not get was why the demons had left her alive. Or why one of them supposedly saved her.

It was during this patrol that Takemaru chanced to see the shadow of a girl walking in the forest. His immediate reaction was to hide behind the nearest tree and stalk the figure. It was not a hard task, considering the fact that the snow muted his footsteps. In the depths of his mind, he fancied that the figure he saw was the princess. But it was nonsense. The princess was being "grounded", and she would probably not steal out in the middle of the night again – especially during full moon nights. Most demons become hyperactive during full moons, therefore people in the castle knew when to avoid leaving the barriers.

Due to the heavy blanket of darkness, Takemaru did not saw the branch in front of him and stepped accidentally upon it. The figure in front of him was startled by the sudden sound, turned swiftly away to the right and fled. Takemaru got out from the covers of the trees and started pursuing the figure. He smiled grimly when he noticed that the figure was running at an awfully slow pace. _Almost too slow for a demon_, Takemaru thought to himself. He drew his sword from his sheath, blade facing downwards at his side.

Suddenly the figure, seeing that it can no longer run nor hide any more, stooped down and cowered. Takemaru also slowed down his pace, sword tip pointing at the figure. He cursed himself silently for not taking a firebrand along so that he could at least get a glimpse of the figure properly before getting too close to it.

"Cease to struggle and I shall not bring harm on you…that is, for now." Takemaru ordered authoritatively.

Izayoi, upon hearing a familiar voice, stopped shivering. In her mind, she was trying to match the voice to a face. Finally, she recognized the voice as Takemaru's, a subordinate who had always guarded her family loyally, if not overly protective.

"Sir Takemaru?" Izayoi looked tentatively up, relieved that it had not been a demon that was stalking her.

"Prince….princess?" Takemaru replied, equally surprised when he recognized the voice. "Why are you out in the middle of the night?" Yet he did not move his sword for fear that it was a demon-in-disguise.

"Please don't tell father about this!" Izayoi implored as she clutched blindly onto Takemaru's sleeve regardless of the sword that was pointing at her. "Father will be mad if he hears about my disobedience!"

"That is beside the point. But I have to know why you slipped out in the middle of the night, especially into _this_ forest." Only at such a close proximity was Takemaru willing to acknowledge that it was truly the princess and sheath his sword.

Izayoi shifted nervously. "This forest has always attracted me. Ever since three years ago, I dreamt about him every night, and the forest beckons me so. I thought if I visited it again and again, I would meet him sooner or later." Izayoi hesitated; she thought she could sense a tension throughout Takemaru's body the moment she mentioned _three years ago._

"And who happened to be that fortunate 'him'? Perhaps it is a secret lover that you dared not tell your father?" Takemaru's voice was as cold as steel and frighteningly detached.

At that moment, Izayoi realized her mistake: she had never told anyone else aside from her attendant in detail about the silver-haired demon that rescued her. She knew she would have to explain it to Takemaru now that she mentioned him and hoped to the heavens that Takemaru won't pass the message along to her father.

"It was…the demon who rescued me three years ago and escorted me to the edge of the forest where I can see the castle. I wanted to thank him for that." Though Izayoi tried to convince herself that she only wanted to meet the demon in order to thank him, deep inside her, she knew that she was attracted for another reason.

"Go back. I don't know why that demon had spared your life, but all demons are to be mistrusted. He may not kill you that time, but he will kill you the next time you meet him. So come back with me." Takemaru replied curtly. He extended his hand for Izayoi. The princess was hesitant at first, but knowing that she had nowhere else to escape, she reluctantly gave in.

As both people were talking, they did not realize that they were already out of the protective boundary of the priests. Under the effect of the full moon, a nearby demon had became hypersensitive and was attracted to the smell of human. Humans were rare in this area of the forest.

The demon was an enlarge version of a cobra, except with a double-spiked tail and a hardened skin. Through its sense of smell, it was able to locate the two humans easily and started sliding towards its target.

At the same moment, Takemaru was escorting Izayoi slowly back. Should the princess accidentally wound herself in the dark, he would have to pay the penalty. And probably with his head too. For the second time he cursed himself for not bringing along a torch.

"Ah!" Despite all their caution, a small rock still managed to escape their notice and Izayoi tripped upon it.

"Princess!" Takemaru shouted as he bent down towards the princess. It was fortunate that he did so as a spray of viscous liquid streamed over his shoulder. Some fell upon his helmet and seared through the metal cleanly. He shook off his helmet immediately for fear of the liquid touching any section of his body. As he did so, he realized a pair of glowing orbs a few feet behind him. These orbs were about half a body taller than him.

"Princess, please escape in the direction of the castle." Takemaru turned swiftly, drawing his sword in a defensive pose. Izayoi, stunted by the fall, did not realize the urgency of the situation. Because Takemaru was standing behind her, his armor blocked her view of the glowing orbs. Just as she was wondering what had occurred, the pair of eyes winked out.

"Sir Takemaru, what is—?"

The shadow of a tail weaved by Takemaru's legs and grabbed hold of Izayoi's arm. Before Takemaru knew what was going on, the princess was already being dragged along the ground. Takemaru only managed to catch the ends of Izayoi's robe, which tore into two in his hands. He laid there on the forest ground, staring at the distancing figure of his princess who was in danger. He was torn between the decision of chasing after the princess alone or returning to the castle and gathering other people to help him. However, he knew that the latter would not work, as time was a factor in this chase. The princess's life depended upon how fast he acted.

Without further ado, Takemaru plunged headlong into the thickening foliage, blindly grabbing at branches and stumbling over protruding rocks and branches.

Meanwhile, Izayoi was stunned beyond words. She felt like a toy doll being forcefully dragged around by a dog. Except that this wasn't a dog, and she was not just a mere doll, but also possibly the next meal. Nonetheless, she could do nothing to help herself; the mere act of trying to keep conscious was proving a challenge for her. The challenge further increased as she realized that part of her robe was torn off, and what she had left was only a thin fabric on her thin frame. The fabric did not protect her from the rough terrain, and her exposed flesh burned painfully as she felt the rocks and leaves tearing at her. There was a few times where she clutched out at anything her hands came in contact with, only to have her grasp tore loose and adding further to the pain.

After awhile, the continual pulling caused Izayoi's body to turn numb. She no longer felt the pain in her body, as if she was just a soul caged in a shell and watching the blackness flew by. She fancied that she had had such an experience before. Somehow it all seemed so familiar to her – the helplessness, the fear of dying, and lastly, the stage where she went beyond her fears and everything became null. And then it struck her:

_It was one evening when she stole out to collect some exquisite flora that she spied on one of her father's hunting trips. Unfortunately, she did not find the flowers, and to make it worse, she was lost. The canopies of the forest were so dense that the tall castle was obscured from view. Time flew by and a red round moon rose in the sky – yes, that was a full moon, but somehow it was the color of crimson._

_Izayoi was lost, and before she knew it, a shadow struck her. The attack was too fast. _

_Izayoi felt claws striking her arm, her body being flung backwards to the ground and a creature pressing down upon her abdomen. Through the silhouette, Izayoi could make out a claw against the night sky, raised and aimed at her. At that moment, she was frightened, and like any other thing that a decent girl would do in such a situation, she started crying. The tears came streaking down, but her voice was choked with fear, and she can barely produce a sound._

_Just then, a second and smaller figure in the form of a man appeared behind the creature. She saw the man swing a mighty sword and the next thing she knew was that the demon's claw was lying next to her body. The demon, quite wounded and enraged, turned upon the figure and snapped its grotesque jaw at the man. However, the men merely sidestepped and perform another swing, this time leaving a gash by the demon's flanks. A great howl tore through the air as the demon flung his whole weight against the man. Halfway through the air, the demon flipped backwards in a surprise bout of agility and brought his tail upon the sword blade. It slapped squarely across the immense sword and the man lost hold of the hilt. In a moment, the gigantic sword transformed back to a piece of crooked antique. The man pulled away from the demon and drew out another sword from his back, this time a smaller sword with an orb embedded at the end of the hilt._

_The moonlight passed through the orb and it shone a ghastly purple. Izayoi felt an evil but suppressed aura from the sword. Oddly enough, she felt comforted by the sight of the man holding onto the sword. The demon also sensed the aura and leaped away, carefully circling the man._

_The man stood calmly and raised his sword – blade tip pointing towards the sky – with both hands firmly gripping the hilt. "Gokuryuuha." A deep masculine voice rebounded against the trees, causing thousands of echoes. Two dragons circled the blade as they traveled up the entire length of the blade. Finally, a purple colored energy ball appeared at the top of the blade. The man swung his sword towards the direction of the demon and the energy engulfed the demon amidst its purple clouds. In a moment, the demon was obliterated and surprisingly, the purple energy ball also dissipated immediately into the air. The man sighed and sheathed his sword back into its position on his back. He went to collect the other sword and placed that into the sheath beside his waist. Just then, Izayoi noticed that there was a third sword at his waist. This was the first time that she saw someone carrying so many swords around. _

_Finally, the man took notice of Izayoi and approached her without a sound._

_When he was close-up and the moonlight shone on part of his face, Izayoi realized that the man was a demon. 'Well', she thought to herself, 'I should have expected that, a human couldn't wield such a huge sword with such ease after all'. _

_She saw the purple streak across the man's square but strong jaw, his pointed ear, silver hair and golden eyes. It did not occur to her that she should be running away during the fight rather than waiting till now. All she felt was tiredness and her lids drooped. Before she went to sleep, Izayoi felt herself being cradled into strong arms and swept away. When she awoke again, she was at the edge of the forest and her castle was in sight. The moon was still shining, and she could only assume that she was unconscious for a short period of time. She felt light on her head, and could only recall vague details of the fight and the demon that rescued her. She realized then that she was probably too traumatized by the experience that she repressed her memory unconsciously. She heard her servants calling out to her and she went to find them._

_Bump_. Izayoi stopped. She was brought back to her current situation and realized that the demon had brought her to its lair. It was a deep hole located vertically downwards through the ground with cobwebs and sticky fluid all around. 'So this is the end.' Izayoi thought to herself as she looked upwards to the entrance of the hole and at the last stray piece of sky.


	8. Of Reunion and Anger

Of Reunion and Anger

Izayoi realized with a pang of disappointment that no one would really care if she was gone. Her only relative was her father who was more concerned with whose hand his inheritance will pass into. Her mother had passed away early due to some disease that caused her to continually cough up blood. She used to have a 'granny' – a kind old lady who had taken care of her since she was young – and who had, unfortunately, passed away too. The only other person she could think of then that held the slightest emotion for her was her attendant.

Izayoi's attention was then drawn to the demon that was now facing her and licking its jaws hungrily. She studied it closely with the same wonder that she had looked at the outside world. It resembled a snake indeed, and she had the urge to reach out her hand and touch the scaly skin.

Suddenly, the face of the handsome demon appeared in her mind again and she was alerted. There was something that she still needed to do. She needed to see him again and thank him. That thought stirred her spirits tremendously and she felt strength flowing back into her.

"Sorry, but I cannot die just as of yet," Izayoi said out loud. She gathered her will and brought herself to an upright position. At the same time, the demon lashed out its fangs at the young woman.

By some force of miracle, Izayoi managed to trip and roll away just in time as the fangs struck the ground a few inches beside her. While the demon was dislodging its fangs, Izayoi scrambled frantically for the entrance. Her fingers came in contact with slimy fluid and she slipped down. The walls were too steep to climb easily. She then resorted to finding some sort of weapon. The only thing that she found even mildly useful was a little mountain of skeletons lying at the corner of the lair.

Much angered, the demon flung itself again at Izayoi, who smacked it soundly across the head with a long bone. However, the bone broke into pieces upon contact and the demon veered away, unfazed by her minute strength. It turned back and made another run at the young woman. This time Izayoi thought that she was indubitably dead.

But it was not so. Izayoi was abruptly lifted by a strong gust of wind. All she could see was a white silk robe blocking her view. The next minute, she felt two firm arms supporting her waist and shoulder, and she was out of the hole into the night. She was breathless from the excitement and was somewhat dazed by the sudden moonlight that was shining in her face. It took her awhile to realize that she was in the arms of a silver haired demon.

"You are…?" Izayoi stared round-eyed at the demon before her. But before she had worked out her thoughts, the demon placed her aside. He drew the sword from his back and prepared for an attack from the snake-like demon. It was happening all over again: Izayoi being threatened by a demon and having another come to save her.

Touga was having a casual 'stroll' beyond his palace grounds to test how much he had healed. He enjoyed basking himself under the light of the full moon and speed-running across a vast stretch of land. He would usually do that with his wife, except that she was still complaining about him reeking of blood odors from the battle a few days past.

During the course of his speed-running, he saw a human castle and thought he could just roam about nearby. Something in his memory flared alive briefly and receded again into the recesses of his mind, so fast that he did not registered what the memory was about. That was when he chanced upon a demon attacking what appeared to be a human woman in its lair. On closer inspection, he realized (with some surprise) that the young woman was quite familiar and that he recognized her fragrance. Once again, a piece of something jolted in his memory and disappeared. He did what was the most appropriate thing he could think of at that time: jumping down the hole and carrying the woman out.

The snake-like demon backed away from Touga. It knew better than to attack someone much superior in strength above itself, and so it slinked back into its hole. Touga exhaled slowly, sheathed his sword back in and returned his attention to the human woman. Under the influence of the full moon, Touga was able to see clearer in the night and he studied the human closely. She had long jet-black hair with a small lip and big round eyes sitting on what was one of the most beautifully shaped faces. He noticed that she was staring at him too in surprise and what was – suspiciously – recognition.

Izayoi was the first one to break the tension by shouting "you must be him!"

"Pardon me, young lady?" Touga replied, still trying to remember where he had met her before. Throughout the years, he had met so many people that he no longer remembered who was who and can only remember them mostly by their scent.

"You must be the demon that rescued me three years back in this forest. I never had the chance to thank you that time. Now I can express my intense gratitude for you, my savior." Izayoi knelt down politely and bowed her head.

"That was nothing," Touga smiled. In truth, he still did not recognize the girl that was more than beaming at him. It was an awkward moment for him, trying to accept a gratitude that he had no idea where or when it came from. He reckoned he should escort the woman back to the vicinity of the castle and hoped that she could find her way from there. At least, that was what he intended when another figure emerged from the shadows of the forest, fury radiating off his body.

"Get away from the princess, you monster!" Takemaru thundered as he temporarily forgot about his lethargy and bounded toward his precious princess.

Touga was somewhat taken aback with the knowledge that the fragile woman before him was a princess and wondered what could have happen to have a princess in this demon-infested area thus late at night. Despite his urge to leave as quickly as possible before more problems popped up between the humans and him, Touga had to admit that it was in his best interest to deliver the two humans back to the barrier near the castle seeing that the area was filled with other unwanted creatures. How he was going to do that without that menacing-looking soldier skewering him was another problem.

"Sir, I appreciate the fact that you protect the princess so, but I assure you that I am not harming her in any ways." Touga adopted the formal use of prefix and held up his hands openly in a gesture that he hoped the solder would interpret as friendliness.

"Sir Takemaru, its fine! He was my hero that saved me three years ago!" Izayoi piped up happily.

Takemaru was not 'fooled' by the appearance of friendliness; he knew that demons were capable of putting on whatever shows that will suit their sickening fancy. To hear that Touga was somehow involved in the three years ago only sparked his anger. "You monster! You didn't kill her three years ago and now you are trying to do it again?" Takemaru charged at the demon lord, oblivious to Izayoi's pleas.

Touga neatly side-stepped the human and frowned his brows in deep contemplation. Somehow both humans had access to knowledge of who he was and his role here three years ago. Granted, Touga didn't forget things easily, but after living for so long, it was only natural that he left certain events out of his memory. He dodged another attack by Takemaru with ease.

"Sir, it would be commendable if you could hold your sword for a minute and explain to me what happened here three years ago," Touga placated.

"You appeared here three years ago – according to my lady here – and deceived her, disturbing her dreams and memories days after days. My lady has not married yet because of you. If I extirpate you now, I shall free my lady from the bondage that you held her." Takemaru heaved as he regained his fighting stance, ignoring the denials coming from Izayoi.

"While I understand your protectiveness over your princess, I assure you that I didn't taint your princess's consciousness in any ways since I haven't even met her before." Touga countered, quite sure that he never met the girl before.

At this, Izayoi's expression fell. Did she recognize the wrong person? The demon before her had the same eye and hair color, the same body structure and aura…

'_But that was three years ago, and your memory had proven to be unstable during the period between then and now,'_ she thought bitterly to herself. She had, after all, repressed her memory for the past three years with only vague and fragmented images of her savior. Her doubts were increasing and gnawing at her.

"Lies and more lies," Takemaru hissed as he struggled to reach the evading demon, "that's the only thing your vile race is capable of achieving." But before he regained from his latest headlong rush at Touga, said demon conducted a swift back-turn to slide pass his blade and dealt him a blow on the side of his head. The blow did not fully cut off his consciousness, but it did paralyze his body. The demon must have hit one of the major acupuncture points to disable him.

Touga reckoned that the humans must have been wrong in thinking that they have ever met before, although he can't quite shake off the feeling of familiarity at the back of his mind. After he rendered the man immobile, he bowed, "Forgive me for my rudeness, but I must transport you back to the protection of the castle before any further accidents happen. I am sure that the princess would appreciate that too." He slung Takemaru across his shoulder and proceeded towards the princess, holding out a hand to help her up.

"So I was wrong all along," Izayoi's lips trembled and her eyes shone with unshed tears when Touga neared her.

"Perhaps you might yet meet him, fair lady, but for now, the night is late and you must return," Touga said and stopped. The princess was smiling at him with the saddest expression in her eyes and his heart jolted painfully in his chest.

"It is most unfortunate, and I ask for forgiveness for recognizing you as the wrong person." There was a bitter tone in her voice, "You are right sir, the night is late and I will return, provided that you meant us no harm?" Izayoi knew that the moment Takemaru was free to move around again, he would report to her father of the event. Then her father would either forever banished her from leaving the grounds of her household, or that he would force her to marry to prevent her from running off again. Either way, her freedom will surely be nonexistent by the morning and she would never meet her mysterious savior again.

White flakes of snow began floating down from the heavens, obscuring the group of people making their way back to the human castle.

**A/N:**

Phew, it's been quite a long time since I updated this story! I had a hard time with this chapter (and truth be told, I still don't quite like this rendition that I uploaded) since I have been working on other fanfictions at the same time and my writing style had somewhat changed since I last uploaded, so you guys might notice some changes in terms of the ways the story is told. But fear not, I will still continue to work on this story, even if it takes a long time!

A huge thank you to those who read the fiction and added it to their fave story list, it makes me really happy to know that people enjoyed the fic!


	9. Of Disappointment and Boundaries

Of Disappointment and Boundaries

It was already dawn when Touga returned to his castle, jaded and much perturbed. He had stayed behind to make sure that the two humans were safely transported back within their barrier before leaving. But he did not returned immediately; he spent the rest of the night wandering around the forest trying to recall a memory that was lost to him. His intuition was telling him two things: first that it was imperative for him to remember because it will play an important role in the future (and his intuitions were _rarely_ wrong), and second that things are going to be ugly when he reached home, the latter of which was proven the moment his wife emerged from the chamber.

Upon seeing her husband, the demoness was about to say something, but stopped herself immediately. She sniffed the air cautiously. Her delicate brows creased together in a frown as she trained her nose on the source of the stench.

"I smell human on you," she stated matter-of-factly.

Touga gave a nonchalant shrug, "it is hardly odd considering that a population of humans live under my protection. Dearest, if you would so excuse me, I need to retire to my room for some sleep before I have to attend a listening."

"Is that so?" Touga's wife stepped closer, lifted her husband's sleeve and took a more detailed sniff. "It smells like cherry blossoms mixed with a touch of chrysanthemum. I don't remember any of the villager women wearing such high quality powder." She gave an inquisitive look lined with curiosity and suspicion.

"Fine, you caught me," Touga ran his hands through his hair, seeing that he had no reason to avoid the topic. "I went on a run yesterday night and met two humans. One of them looked like a lord's daughter – hence the fragrance on me – and another was the princess's bodyguard. They were in trouble with a demon and I helped them."

"You helped them?" The demoness inquired, her look somewhat akin to disgust. "You are not obligated by any means to help humans beyond your land's boundaries."

It seemed that he was not going to get his much needed rest. "Dearest," Touga began, scratching his head awkwardly. How was he supposed to explain the strange feeling he harbored for the human princess? How was he supposed to explain the strange connection that seemed to manifest itself in his mind? Just like…

Not liking his hesitation at all, Touga's wife huffed angrily, "Must I always remind you that we are of a noble blood and superior beings? I will warn you for the last time, we don't interact intimately with lower life forms, much less have their scents rub all over us. And to think that you dare let one of those _things _outside the Western Land get into such close proximities with you-"

Touga watched his wife grimly, his mouth curving downwards into a thin, hard line. Under normal circumstances, he would let his wife expend all her energy on her complaints before consoling her. But he was too tired – both physically and mentally – to put up with his wife's tantrums. A sudden wind whipped up, and said wife found herself facing empty space. Her husband had left with lightning speed.

"I will only tolerate so much of your mingling with the humans, I will ensure that such a thing do not happen again," though she did not shout the threat aloud, she knew that her husband heard it nonetheless. The only response she got was a tired sigh.

* * *

"I'm terribly sorry, father," Izayoi whispered as she bowed down low before her father, her head touching the cool wooden floor.

Before her, her father stood immobile with a furious expression, the anger clouding his visage. "Do you know what you have done? The humiliation you have incurred upon yourself, your father and your ancestors?"

Izayoi snapped her head up to say something, but was immediately cut off when her father cried "Silence! You have denied every single marriage proposal which would otherwise strengthen our ties with the other noble families. To those whom you have turned down, I have kept my mouth quiet, on account that your deceased mother asked for me to treat you like the most precious treasure, and on account of your trauma three years ago. That itself, already speaks of my generosity. But no, you have the face to go on and spread rumors about a mysterious demon, one who roamed this land and could possibly be very harmful. You strike fears in the heart of those who serves here! Furthermore, you slipped out in the dark of night, attempting to have a rendezvous with some male stranger! The indecency of all of this!"

"Father, I humbly beg your understanding, I was not out with a lover, but to seek for the man whom I owed my life years ago."

"He was not a man; he was a demon, a bloodthirsty, down-to-earth demon!"

"Please father, do not treat him as such!" Izayoi promptly stopped herself when she realized that she had raised her voice at her father.

"How dare you speak against me, your father who had raised you up all these years?" The lord was red in the face as servants hurried to fan him. "For this insult alone, I renounced you to the isolated quarters of the west wing. And until you finished copying the scroll of atonement a hundred times and learned your mistakes will I let you out. Guards, take her out."*

As two guards moved forward, Izayoi held up her hand. She stood up calmly, facing her father. "I apologize for my indecency, and wished that you, my honorable father, would see clearer someday." She performed a quick bow and walked out of the room regally, her head held high. She would not let herself break down before her father. She would not scream and beg for mercy. No, she would do none of that because she saw that it was not her fault. Nor was it her father's. It was by some cruel twist of fate that she was born into a world of confinement. Who was she to blame?

It was only when the guards left her alone in her new home that the first drop of salt water rolled down her cheeks. Silently, she glanced at the setting ray of sun peeping through the window. This was the end of her freedom.

* * *

The next two months was spent in tense silence. The air was thick, as if willing itself to suffocate by-passers. It coagulated most in the bedroom that Touga shared with his wife. Ever since that day, the two couple had avoided each other – or more correctly, Touga had been trying to placate his wife again, but this time, her anger held up longer than expected and she refused to see him. She even went as far as to move her belongings to another chamber. Finally, Touga's temper could no longer contain itself. He berated his wife on her childish behavior and discrimination against the human race. With that, the couple settled into cold war.

"To think that she has the insolence to turn her back against me like that," Touga exclaimed to one of his counselors. "What am I going to do?"

"Perhaps, my sire, it would help if you gave her a gift?" The counselor offered hesitantly. He didn't want to be caught in the battle of wills between the royal couple. At least he was thankful that he worked for his lord, not the lady, who had a tendency to become violent when her tantrums arose.

"No, I have given her enough gifts already. It is time that she sees things from my perspective and lends her understanding to my situation. A wife ought to support her husband, both in his judgment and in his life."

"Indeed, but remember, my lord, that you are not talking about a common wife. You are talking about _the_ lady of the Western Land, wife to you, the powerful Inu no taishou. She cannot be treated like a common woman." The counselor said.

"And so you ask me to degrade myself countless times to gain her favor?" Touga asked menacingly. He knew he wasn't really making sense anymore. After all, he never thought of himself as being degraded when he tried to gain his wife's good graces – unlike what most men in their era would have thought – no, he was happy to keep his wife humored. But this time it was going too far. He felt that they have reached a point in their lives where either he turned a blind eye to his wife's discriminations, or she learned how to accept humans. And he was not willing to be the one that back down.

"No, no! I would not ask my lord of such a thing. All the lady needs is time for her to calm down and realize her mistake," the counselor hastily explained, unwilling to face the wrath of his lord. It was the first time that he had seen his good-natured lord so frustrated, and he can only hope that the issue between wife and husband resolved itself soon.

"She better be," Touga muttered darkly.

* * *

The maids serving the lady were more than terrified. Their faces were pale, their hands trembling with cold sweat and their eyes reflected terror as they wait for the lady. These maids were humans, and for the moment, they feared for their life more than anything else. When the lady was in a foul temper, it was a sight to behold.

Just then, the chamber door slipped aside as the lady returned, but her appearance was somewhat different. Her eyes, so cherished for its royal colors, were speckled with red. Where her fingers were once pale and white, it was now covered with dark crimson. Crimson could also be spotted on the corner of her dainty lip. Nonetheless, with the exception that she was bathed in a feral aura, she still held herself like a lady.

"Welcome…welcome back, my la-lady, I hope you have a great hunting?" The maids stuttered over their words as they watched the lady glide coolly in. They surely didn't want to know who the owner of the cerise liquid that dotted their lady's clothes was.

The demoness turned her head slightly towards the maids, and they didn't miss the murderous glint in their lady's eyes. But thinking better, the lady merely stretched out her hand, "tell the _others_ to prepare my bath." What she meant by _others_ were the demon maids, her own batch that she brought from her home. She would not have humans defile the water that she bath herself in.

"Ye…Yes, your majesty," the human maids gladly scurried away.

"I'm not yielding," the demoness muttered to no one. She was the lady of the Western Land, wife to _the_ Inu no Taishou and her pride would not allow herself to back down. She would wait; yes she would, until her husband decided to apologize. And in the meantime, to vent her anger, she could do some hunting outside the boundaries of the Western Land…

* * *

The father and son relationship between Touga and Sesshoumaru had not been faring well either. Although they had occasional practices now and then, it seemed that the invisible rift between the two had grown even bigger. Sesshoumaru was now much more distanced than ever towards his father (not that he wasn't distance already to begin with), and Touga had given up trying to open his son's personality. He was already too frustrated with his wife; he didn't have the energy to deal with a rebellious son too.

Sesshoumaru had heard and seen his parents on the night Touga saved Izayoi, and he was disappointed. The father whom he had secretly looked up had lowered himself to mingle with humans. To say that he wasn't feeling slightly resentful and bitter would be a lie.

But as the two months went by, the disappointment was replaced with a sort of curiosity. He was still feeling slightly betrayed, but his fascination was even stronger. What is it about the human woman that would change his father's behavior so? What is it about the human woman that would threaten his mother so? What is it about this human woman that would unsettle his family so? He cannot combat his natural curiosity, and he wanted to find out more about this female.

Therefore in the midst of the night, Sesshoumaru transformed into his dog demon form and traveled across the land. He tried to recall the fragrance of chrysanthemum and cherry blossoms and searched far and wide. Finally, he located the faint smell that he was searching for. It came from an isolated corner of a human palace, where it was obvious people barely visit that place.

When he arrived, Sesshoumaru transformed back to his human appearance. He quirked his eyebrow in amusement at the barrier set around the palace. Foolish humans, to think that such a fragile barrier couldstop someone as superior as himself. It therefore came as no surprise when Sesshoumaru easily slice through the barrier with a flick of his claw, letting a hole big enough for himself to pass through, yet not big enough to alert the priests that set up the barrier.

Closer now, Sesshoumaru could trace the smell better, which led itself to a dark room. He could see a faint light casted by a candle flickering through the paper window. The silhouette of a woman could be seen sitting by the desk. She was writing something. Two guards were stationed at the front of the room's door, but it was no hard task for Sesshoumaru to dispose of the guards. With swift movement, he dealt two blows on the guards' heads and left them unconscious.

Izayoi was focused on copying the book of atonement when she heard two soft _plops_ that sounded suspiciously like humans falling to the ground.

"Who is it?" She called out softly, hoping that it was just her imagination.

To her surprise, the door slid open to reveal a fair demon. She could tell he was young from the smooth contours of his features and she shivered when she met his eyes. It was cold and emotionless. But there was something familiar about the eyes.

Sesshoumaru stared at the woman before him. Once again, he was overcome by a fleet of disappointment. There was nothing astounding about her. True, she was beautiful, much better than all the human females that he had seen, yet she could never compare to any of the demoness.

"Do you have any business here?"

The timid voice broke through the demon prince's musings. Although the voice was soft, but it held some form of strength inside it. For the first time, Sesshoumaru realized that the woman was staring back at him with an equally strong gaze. She seemed to be figuring out something in her mind.

"You looked like the demon that saved me two months ago," Izayoi continued, for the moment having forgotten that Sesshoumaru was a stranger – a _very_ dangerous stranger.

But Sesshoumaru was not listening; he had already seen for himself what the woman was like, and that was all he need. Without uttering a single word, he turned his back and walked out of the room, leaving the woman quite confused.

Once he was back on air, Sesshoumaru could not help but feel a twist of disappointment, but there was also something else that he was feeling, something called anticipation.

**A/N:**

5 MONTHS, 5 months since I last uploaded! Wow, time is a fleeting thing! But yes, finally another chapter after a long long wait! Big thanks to those who reviewed and who continues to follow the story! ^^

*scrolls of atonement: in ancient Chinese culture, women with royal lineage were sometimes punished by being closed in an isolated wing of the palace and forced to copy scrolls a hundred times (sometimes less, sometimes more depending on the nature of the punishment). Supposedly, they would have repent by the end of copying all hundred times.


	10. Of Departure and Performance

Of Departure and Performance

"You are sure that you heard correctly?" Izayoi stared at the piece of paper before her, her hands poised midway in the air, allowing the ink to drip unto the paper that she had so meticulously wrote on for the past hour. She was entranced by how the liquid spread out like a black void, crawling slowly over the rough fibers of the paper and swallowing the words of repentance.

"I am afraid that my hearing has not failed me, my lady," Izayoi's personal attendant whispered nervously. She was the only one allowed to visit her lady freely and frequently, bringing food and all sorts of news. Currently though, the attendant was hoping she didn't need to act as the harbinger of bad news.

Ever since Sesshoumaru's surprise visit, the guards outside Izayoi's room and around the perimeters of the castle had doubled. The amount of priests had also doubled. But none was worse to Izayoi than the decision her father made regarding her future. Said woman's lips quivered pathetically as she tugged at the collar of her kouchigi*. The room suddenly seemed much more stifling and morbid. Finally, with trembling voice, she managed to ask, "Is it so that I am bound to Sir Takemaru once I finished repentance?"

"Yes, my lady," the attendant replied quietly, her voice equally deflated. Being her lady's long-time friend, she had long suspected that the keen 'interest' her lady took in the demon lord was not purely gratitude, but another level of affection. Of course, she had never dared voice it out for fear of creating more scandalous rumors of her lady. After all, the walls of the castle have ears.

"But why?" Izayoi stared hollowly as the ink continued its gluttonous pathway across the paper, as if mocking all her efforts that she had spent on copying the scrolls. Does it matter anymore that she copied these characters when her future was shattered by her father's decision? Takemaru had no property, wealth or resource. He was not of noble blood, which made him lower on the hierarchical rank than her. There was no reason why her father would marry her to Takemaru.

But the attendant apparently had the reason: "The lord claims that all other royalties have _retracted_ their proposals once they learned of your meeting with the demon lord. He was worried that your status as an unmarried woman will prevent him from getting an heir to his inheritance. It seems that the next best option is Sir Takemaru," the attendant chose her words carefully. She sidestepped the fact that rumors were already circulating around the court about Izayoi's 'affair' with the demon, created by none other than the counselors themselves. They are men who are eager to watch the downfall of Izayoi's family so that they can acquire the wealth and position quicker.

* * *

Frankly speaking, he was tired, tired of all the formalities and tension. The past few days were filled with sleepless nights thinking about a certain young woman and replaying the same scene over and over. Sometimes in his dreams, there would be a younger girl in place of princess. Both females looked immensely alike and it troubled him. The dreams were trying to tell him something… Touga stopped his line of thoughts and eyed the human messenger before him. He had to admit that the messenger was a brave young man to have braved a visit the Western Land by himself.

"- and so, my lord wishes that we reach an agreement," the messenger said in a gusto. He insinuated ever so slightly with his tone what the consequences would be if Touga do not accept the 'agreement'.

No need to say, Touga was none too pleased when he found a human messenger two days later in his courtroom, bringing him news about a 'mysterious silver-haired dog demon' that visited the lady. He had already guessed whom the human was referring to, but could not fathom why this mystery demon would chance a visit to a human dwelling, unless…

"My lord requests your response," the messenger tentatively repeated, seeing that Touga was not replying to him.

"Give me one day to consider your lord's proposal before I give an answer. In the meantime, you may stay on my palace grounds without interference from the demons," Touga answered. He did not expect things to deprecate from bad to worse so quickly.

As the human messenger retired, Touga faced his advisors, all of whom have already gathered inside the courtroom the whole time the human messenger was relaying his message. "So, what say you to the proposition by the human lord?"

The human lord – Izayoi's father – had decided to draw a clear boundary around his land and asked that the demons do not trespass beyond that point. In order to ensure that both sides do not renege on their agreement, the human lord had requested that they set demon sentries on the demon's side of the boundary and human sentries on the human side of the boundary. If anyone violated the treaty, it will be a full-out war between humans and demons. And if Touga declined the offer, there would undoubtedly be a war.

"I believe that we do not have a choice, the humans made it clear," one of the advisors growled.

"Personally, I don't see any disadvantage stemming from this treaty, m'lord. We keep out of their lands and they keep out of ours," a second advisor volunteered. "In fact, they agreed to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with us as long as we keep our part of the treaty."

"That lord has yet to specify what this 'mutually beneficial relationship' is," a third one replied. "My lord, I request that you give further consideration to this treaty. Enemies could use the human lands as a shield and hide behind it, and we would not be able to pursue them once they pass the boundary. The human lands will become a haven for them." Several advisors nodded grimly.

"I understand that," Touga rubbed his temple, "but the human lord has made it explicit that should we deny his proposal, he would declare war on us. The last thing I need on my hands is another war when our troops have just recovered from the previous battle. They are still weary. The rebel demons and demons from mainland** might decide to take advantage of our vulnerable position. I cannot afford to have another war." There was murmur of agreements amongst the advisors as they realize that they were offered no choice in the matter. The human messenger was summoned for and left the next day with a message for his lord.

* * *

"What? We bowed down to the humans' demands?" Touga's wife whirled around to face her husband, their cold war temporarily forgotten. For once, her cool façade receded into a terrifying snarl.

Touga had taken on himself to tell his wife about the news, lest she decided to amputate another messenger. "Indeed, but we wouldn't have been in such a difficult position had it not been for _someone_," Touga growled towards Sesshoumaru with a glare that promised a long talk with said son later that night. His wife saw his glare and gripped his chin forcefully, staring into his equally fiery eyes.

"Don't you dare accuse our son for your weakness with humans. Everything would have been fine if you left that _human_ woman to die," she spat the word human like it was something vile. "But no, you have to save her and look where it land us in," she mocked. "I have enough of this." Just as sudden as the outburst of her temper, she regained her composure, flung her hair back and stepped towards the sliding door.

Touga reached out his hand and grabbed his wife's with slight force. "Where do you intend to go?"

"I will leave and return to whence I came from. I would not have my blood relatives ridicule me for marrying a husband who bent down to the humans' whims. Until you set things right, I shall remain in my own land, now unhand me." The demoness hissed as she looked about ready to kill.

Touga was so shocked by his wife's response that he involuntarily loosened his grip. With a quick flick, his wife whipped her hand away from his grasp and flew through the door, transforming back to her elegant canine form once in the air. This was the first time that she had been enraged enough to leave her husband. But he knew better than to stop her, she would only vent her rage on him before leaving again. When his wife decided to leave, she was too stubborn to listen to anyone else. He sat there, shocked, completely oblivious to the amber eyes that watched everything with keen interest.

* * *

"I must go," Izayoi gripped her attendant's shoulders tightly, causing the smaller girl to wince. "I cannot marry Sir Takemaru. I am afraid I will go mad with grief if I do marry him."

With each day Izayoi's repentance period came closer to an end. She was not ready to face the fact that she will be married right away to her family's bodyguard. No, she was not even ready to face the truth that she had no more choice in the matter. She was brought up believing that she had the choice to choose her suitors, but all of her ideals perished the night the attendant told her about her father's decision.

It did not help that Izayoi's dreams were constantly plagued with the image of a fair-haired man with firm jaws and impressive brows. He was magnificent in her dreams, coming to rescue her from her confinements within her own home. He would take her to an unknown land, sheltered and secluded from the outside world, and they would settle down. Then they would have a small family, and their land would grow prosperous with food. It was such a happy and carefree sensation that Izayoi often awoke with tears streaming down her face and a gentle smile on her features. What did she do to not deserve a life of freedom?

"You…you cannot leave my lady," the attendant nervously casted her eyes towards the doorway, making sure that no one heard. "It's impossible with the amount of people they stationed around here."

"I have to. I can tolerate being scolded, talked about behind my back, but I cannot stand having a man whom I don't love beside me for the rest of my life," Izayoi's dark brown eyes pleaded her attendant.

"But you can learn to love him," the attendant suggested meekly. Even she thought that she didn't sound convincing at all.

The lady shook her head sadly, "I have always believed in marrying a man of my dreams, regardless of what he is. If I were to marry Sir Takemaru, I would be going against my own believes, my own dreams and everything that I stood for. I would lose myself." A lone tear streaked down her cheek.

Scared and worried at the same time, the attendant patted her lady soothingly. "Worry not my lady; I will try to find a way for you to escape from here."

When the attendant had said that she would find a way, Izayoi did not expect her to come up with a solution two days later. As usual, Izayoi was copying the last of her scrolls of atonement under the feeble candle light, her eyes betraying her dread when she was finally done with this deed. She tried writing slower and more elaborately to postpone the date for her release. That was when the attendant slipped into her room in the dead of night.

"My lady!" The attendant hissed softly, finger gently prodding her lady. She had observed the sentries around the castle carefully for the past two days, and noted down the time they changed shifts. That way, it was easier for her to go into her lady's room in the middle of the night without rousing the suspicions from the guards. Even though she was given the privilege to visit her lady freely, it would still be hard to explain if anyone asked her why she would visit her lady in the middle of the night.

"What is it?" Izayoi asked hurriedly once she got over her initial shock of her attendant's surprise visit.

"A messenger returned today and reported that the demons of the Western Land have agreed to a treaty with your father. In order to celebrate this event, the lord wanted to hold a banquet in four days. This would provide you with a chance to escape."

Izayoi's eyes gleamed optimistically in the dark. "A chance to escape?"

"Yes, but it would be very perilous. If you are caught, I'm afraid…" The attendant did not finish her sentence. Both of them knew that if Izayoi dared foolishly escape again, her father would churn up a heavier punishment that might involve heads falling towards the ground. When her lady nodded for her to continue, the attendant sighed. "During the banquet, as a sign of peace, the lord will invite other human lords along with the lord of the Western Land. The castle grounds will be crowded with people. People would be entering and leaving the entrance, and the sentries would have to let down their guards somewhat with so many people. You could disguise as a servant and find a way to slip past the scrutiny of the guards. From there on, you can escape.

"Once you escape, I can arrange for one of my trusted friends to have a rendezvous with you in the forests surrounding the castle. She lives in a small village five miles east of this castle. You would need to travel by night to avoid being caught. With the bustling in the castle ground, the lord would likely take around one hour before he noticed your absence. You would need to sneak out and be on your way within that hour," the attendant halted, drawing in her breath.

Izayoi almost felt like clapping her hands in glee, but instead opt to embrace her attendant warmly. "Thank you, thank you so much!" She whispered fiercely.

The attendant offered a feeble smile before pushing herself slightly away from her lady's enthusiastic hug, "My lady, while it seems like there is a chance for you to escape, there are fallbacks." At her lady's curious gaze, she sighed, "Let's assume you do escape from this place. Wither would you go thence? What would you do? My lady, the outside world is filled with perils unknown to you. It is not fit for a lone woman to strive in this world. I fear for you."

There it went again, the talk about how she was not meant to survive outside because she was a lady. The talk about how women cannot stand for themselves. All her life she had been told again and again that her status as a woman would hinder her. It was truly infuriating.

"Perhaps so far no women have managed to survive outside on their own, perhaps no lord's daughter had dared defy her father, but there is always a first. I am willing to be the first to seek out my own path." Izayoi said, her heart beating wildly. She had never said such a daring thing before, but now she had her frustrations to fuel her towards her own goal.

The attendant saw the fire burning behind Izayoi's eyes and closed her eyes, hoping that what she was doing was right.

* * *

_4 days later, the day of the banquet_

The castle ground was transformed in the four day period. It no longer carried that foreboding sense of dullness that permeated from every pore of the structure. Instead, the castle was re-decorated from the inside out into a grand building that would be the subject of many poets' works in the future. The wooden frames were re-painted with dark red dyes to better enhance the festive mood and give it an appearance of affluence. The wooden floor were wiped so many times that it gleamed in the dark. The interior of the castle donned on lavish tapestries, each woven with thousands of threads to create intricate patterns. Sounds of pans and plates clashing emanated from the kitchen area where servants and cooks avoided tripping each other while rushing about their chores. Outside the building, the gardens were replanted with blossoming floras of every type: peonies, chrysanthemums, irises and much more. Their colors created stark contrast against one another, each emitting their own unique fragrance.

By now, most of the human lords have gathered about the main chamber. They were mostly tensed with the idea that a demon lord will be amongst them that night. This will be the first time in history that a human lord willingly invited a demon lord to feast together. Most of them didn't even know what a demon lord would look like.

A gasp followed by awestruck silence ensued when Touga made his entrance. He had transformed into his canine form and flew to the human castle, accompanied by demon escorts. His humongous body casted a large shadow over the castle ground before he took a dip and landed in a cloud of smoke in the gardens. The smoke cleared to reveal his majestic figure.

The humans remained dumbstruck. Never had they met before a being of such grace, which exuded an aura of immense power and demanded respect immediately.

It took a moment before Izayoi's father regained his senses. He forced a smile unto his face as he stepped out of the chamber. "Welcome, Lord Touga, the feast is about to begin."

On the other side of the castle, two shadows crept along the grounds, their bodies sticking closely to the castle walls. So far, none of the servants have spied them yet.

"We are almost there," the attendant whispered to her lady behind her.

Izayoi merely nodded. She had casted down her precious kouchigi and instead changed into a plainer kimono that her mother had gave her before she died. She tied her hair into a tight-fitting bun so that no one could see the glossy strands and suspect her. Over her head she wore a dark red veil to hide her delicate features. With luck, they would make it out of the castle grounds without anyone noticing.

Unfortunately, luck was not on their side. Just as they were nearing the exit, the head servant*** spotted them and motioned for them to come closer. "Hark, you two there! What are you doing creeping around?"

Izayoi panicked. What if she was found out now? Will her father enact an even heavier punishment? Her desperate eyes sought out those of her attendant's.

The attendant looked scared for a moment, before she regained her composure and gave Izayoi's hand a gentle squeeze. She motioned secretly for Izayoi to remain silent as she led them both towards the head servant.

"What are you two doing out here?" The head servant demanded as he crossed his arms.

"My apologies sir, but I found one of the performers lost. He was scared that the leader will punish him and therefore requested that I bring him back stealthily to the camp." Izayoi shot an alarmed look at her attendant. Did her attendant just say that she was a performer? A _male_ performer nonetheless?****

The head servant scrutinized the pair suspiciously. After deciding that Izayoi's slightly more elaborate costume was proof that she was a member of the performance troop that the lord hired, he nodded his head. "Get him there and then report immediately to the kitchen. They need more help there!"

"Yes sir," the attendant bowed and led Izayoi away towards the performance rooms.

"What am I going to do now?" Izayoi whispered frantically as they approach the performers' rooms where they prepared for the dance.

"We will have to change our plans," the attendant whispered fiercely back. "I cannot lead you back to the exit since it will rouse suspicions. For now, stay within this vicinity. There is another exit near the South wing where the performers' make-up rooms are. The sentries there change their shifts around every three hours." She stopped and glanced up at the sky to approximate the time. "I think in another half an hour they will change their shifts again. You can escape then. Once you are outside, follow the castle walls until you reach the previous exit that we are going to go through. Head straight into the forest and my friend will be waiting there."

"But this will only leave half an hour's time to leave the castle perimeters," Izayoi's voice was laced with worry.

The attendant turned around to face her lady. "I fear that this is our only choice currently. We will be tight on time and it will be dangerous. Are you willing to risk it, my lady?"

The simple question weighed heavily in the air, but Izayoi only took a moment to deliberate, "yes." She had gone so far to prove her dream and all would be wasted if she turn back now on a moment's whim.

"Then stay here and observed the exit carefully. I must part now before the head servant become too suspicious. May we meet again," the attendant said. They shared a silent hug and parted ways.

Alone now, Izayoi tried to keep her calm. She tried convincing herself that she would make it out of the castle grounds safely. She eyed the sentries there. They did not notice her, which meant that she was safe for now. Just another half an hour…

"Hey you, the one with the veil!" Izayoi's heart nearly stopped beating when she realized that someone was talking to her. A young man with a cheery disposition stepped into her line of vision. "Are you one of the performers?"

Izayoi nodded mutely. The man before her eyed her closely, "You know, I have never seen you before in the troop. With such a feminine face as yours, one would think that you are the head performer for the princess's role in the _snow crane_. Who are you?"

"I…" Izayoi sought for an answer in her mind. She only knew about the performers in her father's castles, not the ones being invited tonight, "I am a member of the royal entertainer. Perhaps that is why you have not seen me before." She hoped that she fooled the young man.

Sure enough, the young man's eyes flashed and he grinned, "I knew it! That explains why I have never seen you before! It is an honor to meet a member of the royal entertainer; after all, my troop and I are only wandering performers that chanced to be in this area during the banquet. And to think that I am lucky enough to be talking to a performer of such high rank! I have to say, your voice is just the perfect pitch for the princess's role – though I have no idea how you gave such a feminine twist to your voice – and your appearance and make-ups are superb! I take it you must be the performer for _snow crane_?"

Poor Izayoi was too overwhelmed by the young man's blabbering. She replied an uncertain "yes" without knowing what she was getting herself into. She was dimly aware of being ushered into the rooms to meet other performers who swarmed her. They were all exclaiming over her 'beauty' and pitch change. Nor was she aware of being ushered into another room to change by herself.

When the princess was finally conscious again of her surrounding, she found herself walking with a few other men. She also noticed that she had changed into a beautiful kimono of flowing white with several layers of kimono underneath the white one. In her hands was a parasol.

"Where- where are we going?" Izayoi finally found her voice again.

"Why, the stage of course! I am surprise you could still joke before your performance. I always find it unnerving, especially in front of so many lords," the young man she met earlier was beside her, his face painted in white. He wore a wig and had make-up put all over his face so that he looked like a woman.

The group made it to a wide platform with painted sceneries in the back. A few ways off, a red curtain draped over the stage, covering the audience from the actors.

_The stage…_

"Wait, but I can't –" Izayoi could barely say anything before the curtains pulled back, revealing her to the audience. She met the gaze of her father and a two pairs of amber eyes.

* * *

**And a long long author's note:**

* _kouchigi:_ a seven layered kimono worn by court ladies on normal occasions. On more formal occasions, they wore the _junihitoe_, a 12-layer dress

** Mainland: refers to China

*** Head servant: Since there are so many servants working, there is usually one (or more) head servant that acts as a manager. Their job is to direct the servants about their chores and overlook the servant population

**** Male performer: In ancient times, only males are allowed to perform. For female roles, the male performers usually wore extensive make-up and clothing to signify that they are acting as females. Henceforth most of the performers are amazed at how closely Izayoi resembles a female as they didn't know that Izayoi is indeed a girl.

Finally another chapter done! I was busier this time around working on my manga, which I just finished inking the first chapter. I can't wait till I finished toning all the pages!

Ahem, now back to the story: you might have noticed that I picked up the pace slightly and rushed the story a little. I looked back and thought that I spent too much time writing about the details and not the actions. I was actually having a hard time deciding how I was going to let Touga and Izayoi 'mate'. If I followed the traditions of the era back then, it would take chapters before they even muster enough courage to hold hands (after all, men and women aren't that direct during that time). So being the omnipotent author that I am, I decided to click fast-forward and move the story on. Yes, they have already fallen in love though they are in denial. Yes, their relationship is going to accelerate from this point on. And let's just hope it doesn't spiral out of control...

I don't particularly like how I crafted Izayoi in this chapter. She seems too much like the hyper, cliché heroine who defies everything instead of the calm, collected woman she is in the anime. But once again, this is because I want to pick up speed with the plot. If she is calm, she would have just accepted the marriage with Takemaru and that would be the end of the story already, no? ):

Thank you so much for the reviews, Alic.P and metsfan101, you guys made my day!

Further reviews appreciated! =]


	11. Of Dance and Disappearance

Of Dance and Disappearance

The room was overflowing with tense anticipation as nobles gathered about their seats. They were trying hard to pretend that they were engaged in the performance that was about to begin rather than the demons that were amidst them. Of course all of them were curious about the so-called treaty between the humans and demons – it was unheard of, and not many of them had faith in the success of the treaty.

In the center of the room, near the front of the stage, was an elevated platform that housed four chairs. One was occupied by Izayoi's father, the other two by Touga and Sesshoumaru. The last one to the left of Touga lay bare due to his wife's unexpected leave.

It was highly uncomfortable for Touga to be in the room. As a demon, he could easily decipher human emotions with his highly sensitive sense of smell, and right now majority – if not all – of the feedbacks he got were negative. The human nobles were suspicious and skeptical of him. He could tell that they were not here by choice, but more by coercion from Izayoi's father. He was, after all, a highly prestigious lord with great influential powers.

"It is most unfortunate that both of our ladies cannot attend," Izayoi's father commented, seemingly unfazed by the tense atmosphere. "It would have been my honor to meet your wife tonight. If my daughter had been present, she would learn a lot from your lady. Alas, she cannot be present today due to _unforeseen_ circumstances."

Touga had to stifle the urge to grimace openly at his comments and the hidden meaning behind those words. It was common practice for human nobles to use euphemisms when speaking to one another, and thus he also knew the importance of talking strategically with human nobles. One wrong word could spark a feud. Of course, the way the lord emphasized 'unforeseen' did not go unnoticed by him. But for now, he would act agreeable. "Indeed, I apologize for my wife's untimely absence. She has pressing issues back at home." He chose not to comment upon the last part about Izayoi's absence.

"Oh? Is it so? I do hope that she resolve these issues," the lord said with concern, although his eyes betrayed his emotions. His eyes were filled with a sadistic glee, as if the lord knew the true reason behind the demoness's hasty departure.

"I am sure she is grateful for your concern," Touga replied tensely. The way he had to beat around the bush when conversing was wearing on his nerves. To make it worse, he was not used to being the object of insinuated mockery – demons are more likely to express their dislikes through outright verbal slanders. For demons of higher rankings, they expressed their dislikes through shifts in scents, while conversations remained absolutely neutral. He had to change the subject before he lost his temper. "But let us not plague ourselves with such depressing things. Let us be merry tonight, for I see that you have spent a lot of effort into making the banquet successful. Tell me, what are we waiting for now?"

As if sensing his unease with the direction of the previous topic, the lord offered a ghost of a smirk before curving his lips into a friendly smile. "Ah yes, I forgot that demons do not celebrate in the same way as humans do. It must certainly seem queer for you then. We are now waiting for the performance to begin. It is a human entertainment where people dress up so that they can pretend to be another person. They will then act out another story on stage through dancing and dialogues. The story can be one of love or battle. But I shall not bore you with the details as you shall see soon what I am talking about. On the other hand, do tell me what demon lords do for their entertainment."

Touga frowned at the question. It was a hard one to answer. The demons lived by a different system than the humans. Whereas the humans believe in the succession of royal blood, the demons believe in the ruling of power. A strong demon would usually establish a territory, and from there on gather members and build a family. In a way, they resemble small tribes. Unlike the humans, demons do not have a common hierarchical system. They do not divide themselves into the ruling class or the peasant class. Because of this, the way demon 'lords' – if this was what human refer to instead of the term 'leader' – entertain themselves vary radically from one group to the other.

Just as Touga was slowly explaining the different system to the lord, a bell pealed on the stage and the curtains were pulled aside. "Hark, the performance begun," the lord said as he settled himself comfortably on the chair.

What shocked Touga most was the woman standing in the middle of the stage. Beside him, Sesshoumaru lifted his eyebrow questioningly. Both of them easily distinguished through smell that this woman was the lord's daughter. However, it seemed that the lord himself could not tell that this was his own daughter due to the heavy make-up on the woman.

Izayoi was on the brink of hysteria. There sat her father, along with the two demons that was the stem of the uproar. She was even more petrified when she saw a glint of recognition crossed the two demons' features. This did not bode well, if her father found out…

_'Why is the lord's daughter on stage? Did he not mention before that his daughter is not present? Was this a test to see my response? '_ A thousand questions rang through Touga's head, but it did not explain why the woman was staring at him in fear. Suddenly, he realized that she was trying to communicate to him a message.

Off to the side of the stage, the master musician commanded his musicians to start playing.

The music did not reach Izayoi. She was too afraid to gather that the other nobles and actors were staring at her quizzically. A small cough from behind the stage demanded her attention. It was the performer that she met earlier. He was giving her a silent hand sign, telling her to start acting. This brought Izayoi back to the current situation. The audience was starting to become restless with her lack of response. She gulped and closed her eyes. How well she could escape from this tight situation depended upon her next step. She tried to summon all the previous memories she had of watching performances like this and memories of her dance lessons.

Slowly, as surely as she can, Izayoi lifted the fan in her hand to cover the lower half of her face with her eyes downcast. The audience clapped in appreciation for the performance that had begun.

"This is most amazing! I had yet to see an actor with such feminine grace. I must know where the boy came from and include him in my entertainment troupe." Izayoi's father exclaimed as he watched the lone performer on the stage.

Touga tore his gaze at the woman back to the man beside him. "Pardon me? Did you say that the actor is a boy?"

"Yes, he is a boy. No woman is allowed on stage. That would have been quite indecent."

That must be it, Touga thought. Somehow the lord's daughter had ended up performing on stage, but she did not want her father to identify her. That was why she was pleading him with her eyes to not uncover her, and somehow, Touga felt that it was the right thing to do.

"What is he doing?" The young performer behind the stage hissed. "This is not how the _snow crane_ was supposed to be acted out!"

His friend behind him shrugged helplessly. "I guess that is the entertainer's interpretation of the performance? After all, the royal entertainment group is very different from us wandering ones – though that is the strangest interpretation I have yet seen before."

Off to the other side, Izayoi's attendant was serving beverages. She gawked at the sight of the performer on stage. Although her lady was decked with extensive make-up, there was no denying that the performer was her lady. How did her lady ended up being the center of attention? She casted a glance toward the direction of the lord and sighed in relief when the lord didn't seem to recognize his own daughter.

For the next half-an-hour, Izayoi continued her dance across the stage, silently thanking the heaven above that she had watched enough performances before to know how the routine goes. Usually the movements were slow and each one signified something deeper. Gathering from the response of the audience, she was doing quite well. Finally, she flashed open her fan again and returned to the same position as the start of the performance. Once again, she covered half of her face. As she ended, the audience broke into unanimous applause. She inwardly sighed to herself for being able to fool the audience, although she might have to provide explanations to the other performers behind the stage.

Her father stood up from the platform, temporarily forgetting the demons beside him and motioned for her to come. It was tradition for a lord to award money for actors they deemed worthy. It was also tradition for the actors to approach the lord that was awarding them money. Seeing that she had no other choice, Izayoi approached her father slowly, hoping that her make-up was heavy enough to hide her identity. She could feel herself on the verge of fainting.

Likewise, Izayoi's attendant was also on the brink of panic. Quickly, she darted out of the room without anyone noticing. No one would notice a servant's disappearance.

"Young boy, you are excellent! What is your name?" Izayoi's father asked her. That was the last question that she wanted to answer.

Trying to lower her voice as much as possible, Izayoi silently replied, "as a wandering actor, I am not bestowed a name by my teacher yet." She hoped that her father would not recognize her voice, and fortunately for her, her father did not.

"Interesting, I've never heard of something like that before. But put that aside, what do you think about becoming one of my performers? The pay is _very_ high." It was not a question, but more of a demand, and the lord's eyes betrayed what would happen if Izayoi denied the offer. Human nobles are rather ruthless after all.

"It would be my honor, my lord," Izayoi bowed on her knee. She spied the expression of surprise on the demon that had saved her. The other one seemed rather amuse with the whole situation.

"It is settled then! Welcome to my troupe! I'll arrange your rooming tonight!" Her father laughed and motioned for her to follow one of the royal performers. She gladly hurried out of the area, not wanting her father to second-thought his decision. Before exiting, she casted one last glance at the handsome demon lord. For a moment their eyes clashed, and she saw a flash of emotion in his eyes – but it was gone within a moment, and he turned his head to face the front of the stage. Strangely, her heart was not beating from the near encounter with her father; it was beating for the emotion behind the demon lord's eyes.

In the brief moment that their eyes had met, Touga felt an abrupt tug in his heart. He never realized how much depth the woman's eyes conveyed, and he suddenly had the urge to see more into those inky depths that held so much…_affection?_ Something inside of him stirred, wanting him to go after her. Just as quickly as the feeling came, it disappeared, leaving only a small fuzzy feeling behind. He frowned, beyond confused with his instincts just now. If he was right, it could be…He needed to find the woman and learned more about this foreign feeling.

"Sir," Izayoi's father turned to look at Touga, "if you would excuse me for a moment. I have _private _matters to attend to." He stressed the word to make it sound like he was going to the bathroom – not a particularly tactful and honorable way of excusing himself, but it was the only excuse he can think of without rousing anyone's suspicion or curiosity. The lord seemed to accept his 'excuse' and nodded, entranced with the next performance on stage.

When he stood up, he caught Sesshoumaru's glance from the corner of his eye. Of course his son could smell through his lie – as subtle as it was – so he made a quick motion with his eye to tell his son to be quiet.

To say Sesshoumaru was disgruntled by his father's departure was an understatement – he was furious. At first he was finding amusement in watching the human woman trying to escape her father's scrutinizing eyes. Then he was confused by the emotional roller-coaster his father underwent when his father stared at the woman. Now he was downright furious that his father left him with these fools. He did not want to listen to the fools' incessant commentaries about the performance. What he wanted to know was the strange connection between his father and the human woman.

While Sesshoumaru was glowering mentally, a guard approached the lord and whispered something in his ear.

* * *

The dark hallways seemed to loom endlessly onwards, deftly twisting at the last minute into another hallway. Izayoi wondered who the architecture was to have created such a twisting maze in her house. She was trying to hatch up a plan to escape the royal performer. She could slip into the darkness around her while the performer was not paying attention, but it was not easy, what with her layers of clothing.

She was musing on resorting to violence when she bumped into her guide, who was standing stock still. "Is something the trouble, sir?"

"Hark! Listen!" The performer tilted his head and looked off into the general direction of where they came from. Izayoi heard nothing at first. "Did you not hear some commotion in the nobles' room?" Now that the performer pointed it out, she realized that she could hear something: it sounded like people shouting and a mass of body moving about.

Izayoi's observation was answered a few seconds later when a bodyguard stopped by them and shouted, "The lord has commanded everyone to search for his daughter!" Izayoi froze at his words. Did they find out already that she was gone? Then again, she had already wasted the precious one hour time performing.

"How-?" The performer was curious. The lady was supposed to be closed in her own room, surrounded by sentries.

"I know not, but someone reported seeing her on the castle ground a few moments ago, heading for the exit. Come now, we are wasting time here!" The guard replied as he indicated for the duo to follow him.

Izayoi pondered the information curiously. Indeed she had escaped, but that was some time ago, and she had already discarded her formal attires, which made it harder for people to identify her. Who was the person that they saw? But it mattered not, she could see that the whole castle ground was in pandemonium, and this provided her with the perfect opportunity to run. She followed the guard for a few more moment before slipping silently into the crowd.

Quickly, Izayoi discarded the outer layers of her performance cloth, unwilling to have it burden her escape plan. She made her way amidst the chaos towards the exit that her attendant had pointed out to her earlier. Just as she neared, she realized that there were at least four sentries stationed around the exit, making sure that no one escaped. She groaned internally – it was just her luck that her only escape plan was marred by the presence of guards.

Izayoi dodged behind a bush and tried to reform a plan. Open exits were out of the options as most of them are likely to be barricaded by sentries. There were some smaller corridors which servants usually used when they exit to the market. But she could not risk bumping into one of them right now. Well, there was a tree located near the healer's bedroom that overlooked the Northeast wall of the castle…...she could climb the tree to the top of the wall, and from there used the vines that tangled around the wall as foothold to climb down. Izayoi was so lost in thought that she didn't felt a presence close in on her until there was a tap on her shoulder.

"Ahh-" Izayoi shrieked and whirled around to look at the intruder, only to find herself staring into glowing amber orbs. Suddenly, her heart beat increased tremendously. "You are –"

"Touga, Lord of the Western Land," said demon offered his hand warmly to show that he meant no harm.

"My apologies, Sir Touga, but I am afraid that I cannot stop here for introductions and greetings. Could you do me a favor?" She took the silence from Touga as an indication for her to go on, "Please do not tell anyone that you saw me here. Pretend that this meeting never existed."

Somehow the last sentence stung a little – just a little, and Touga waved it off as being unimportant. "Why is that so, my lady? Care to explain?" It was not gentlemanly to pry into a lady's life, but given the circumstances, Touga thought that it was justified.

"I am afraid that I have to owe you an explanation. I have pressing matters at hand," Izayoi bowed as she skirted off. She only managed a few steps before Touga's looming figure blocked her path.

"Although it may felt intrusive, but perhaps I can be of help," in all actuality, Touga had no idea why he offered his help. It would only lead to more problems, but some unnatural force was pushing him to help her. "I understand that you are fleeing from your father," he watched Izayoi paled, "and I can get you safely out, if need be."

Izayoi could not believe her ears. Once again, the demon lord had just offered to save her life! Although she did not sit well with the notion of being entirely dependent on someone else, she realized that she had a higher chance of escape if she took up his offer. Somehow, a part of her also felt assured in putting her life in the demon lord's hands. She nodded in gratitude, "that would be most wonderful, sir. I assure you, I will give you all the explanations you require when you bring me safely out."

"Then I must excuse my rudeness," Touga smiled as he walked closer to the lady. There was a warm feeling growing in his chest when Izayoi accepted his offer of being her savior.

No one noticed the demon lord picking up the lady and disappearing into the shadows.

* * *

While all the humans were pathetically trying to search for one woman, Sesshoumaru was trying to detect his father's demonic aura. At first he was able to keep track of the older demon's aura moving about the castle grounds, then the aura abruptly clashed with someone else's. That was what had dumbfounded the demon prince. It was not a demonic aura, nor was it a strong spiritual aura that belonged to priests. It was a human's, but it was strong and mixing with his father's. In fact, it felt as if the aura was beckoning for his father to seek it out. Just as suddenly as it appeared, both his father and the human's aura disappeared from the castle ground.

The young demon paid no heed to the humans as he flew out of the castle ground, intend on seeing where his father had went with the mysterious aura.

"You have found her?" The lord exclaimed.

"No, but we have found _this_," the guard said in disgust as he dragged the girl forward. She was none other than Izayoi's personal attendant, who was currently wearing her lady's expensive dress.

"What is the meaning of this? And what have you done to my daughter, you insolent wretch?" The lord howled with rage.

The personal attendant only smiled smugly, knowing that she had bought her lady time – even if it was at the cost of her life. "I know not what you are talking about. As far as I am concerned, my lady is on her way to true happiness." It was a lie. She didn't know how her lady would fare once she succeeded in escaping, but the attendant can only hope for the best.

The lord was beside himself with anger. "Behead that witch! I want her head to serve as example for those who dare defy me!" He watched in grim satisfaction as the personal attendant was dragged off to execution. Oh, he would find his daughter, and when he found her, he would make sure that she learned her lesson.

Outside the castle grounds, Touga rested Izayoi down onto her feet. He looked around at the empty area. The woman had told him previously that a friend of hers would wait here, but he could only catch a faint scent of the other woman. It seemed that her friend had already left.

When he told Izayoi the news, her eyes widen. "She must have left when she didn't see me!" She did not blame the woman for abandoning her, but now that that was out of the question, where would she go?

Touga saw the uncertainty in the woman's eyes, and once again a part of him wanted to help. Without thinking, he offered again, "You could stay in my place if you wish."

No sooner had the words left his mouth when he was interrupted by another cold voice, "That would be most foolish, reverend father."

Izayoi turned to see the demon that had visited her earlier descend gracefully from the sky. She suddenly realized the uncanny resemblance between the two demons: both of them had the same long silver hair, the same intense amber eyes as it clashed with one another, the same elegance in their stride. However, that was where the resemblance ended. The older of the two held a fiery passion in his glare, whilst the younger one seemed nothing more than an ice statue. Somewhere, it stung slightly when she learned that the older demon had a son. But why did it matter to her that her savior was married? She had no feelings for him…right? It was not her place to care whether or not he was married…_right?_

Izayoi turned her disturbing thoughts back to the situation at hand. She wondered what was going on between the two demons as they commenced a silent war of staring each other. Finally, the older demon sagged visibly and turned his eyes away.

"You are right, Sesshoumaru, I cannot jeopardize the situation anymore by bringing the woman with me. But I can at least ensure that she gets to a save hideout." Touga turned his eyes again towards his son, daring the younger demon to rebut. At the same time, he scooped Izayoi up from the ground and held her bridal-style. Said woman blushed profusely at the intimate contact.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his gaze at his father, but wisely decided to back down. He could sense an intense shift in his father's demonic aura when he held the woman, which signaled that his father would not take kindly to rebuttals. It was not only protective, but almost…_possessive._ Furthermore, the woman's aura also changed in the most interesting of ways when she came in contact with his father. The both of their aura twisted around each other fervently, melding into one. In that moment, Sesshoumaru understood.

Once again, Sesshoumaru was left alone as he watched his father depart with the woman. "Father, your weakness will be your downfall." He uttered as he turned his back towards the couple.

* * *

**A/N:**

Another chapter done, though not fully reviewed yet! I always said that it's not fully reviewed, but then again, I never had the time/urge to go back to review the story afterwards. Once I review, I have a tendency to spot all the places I don't like with the plots and I'll just want to rewrite the whole thing again...and that just takes WAY too much time. 3

**Lightning Streak**: Arigatou! Great to see that you think this story is good! :)

**Alic.P**: Haha, I never really looked up the things about the customs and negotiations - I just sort of put together a collage of random things I saw in movies, which are sometimes far from accurate. I'm just curious though, what is the exact difference between 'had' and 'have'? I always have troubles with those, and no one actually bothered to explain to me, or they did it in a very confusing way. _ I would dearly like to learn the difference!

Ehehehe, and just on another completely different tangent: I finally finished chapter one of my manga! Albeit with some errors that needed to be fixed, but I'm done! *feels accomplished for once*


	12. Of Unraveling and Falling Apart

***Warning: Highly mild mature content in this****  
**

Of Unraveling and Falling Apart

Two months flew by as the winter snow melted to make way for spring. Life once again flourished on the barren soil as the migrating birds returned to their homeland. The silent creek bubbled with newly-fed waters and the bees hummed their working tune. Life was joyful in this season.

Or so it seems.

While the natural world returned to its warmth, the mortals remained in the icy grip of tension.

Izayoi had been kindly resettled by Touga into a land near the Southwest. It was a hidden location where Touga could check on her frequently without arousing too many attentions. He would visit her once every week and provide her with all the daily necessities she needed.

On the other hand, Izayoi's father had sent out many men to search for his missing daughter. Although he was a harsh man, he still cared for his daughter in the deep labyrinth of his heart. And over the period of two months, he started missing her presence. Of course, he suspected that the woman's disappearance had something to do with the demons that have miraculously disappeared as well on that fateful night. But without concrete evidence, he could do nothing against the demons. In the end, he had reluctantly signed the treaty with Touga, thereby establishing a border between the human lord's lands and the Western Land. He was bitter over the whole event, knowing that it was his own fault that he could not call off the treaty without instigating even more tension. Silently though, he vowed that he would get his daughter back, regardless of the consequences.

One month after the incident, Touga's wife had returned from her parent's residence. Touga had visited her parents and asked for forgiveness. The parents, though disgusted by Touga's act of clemency towards the humans, have grudgingly accepted his apology and sent their daughter back. After all, Touga was still _the _Lord of the Western Land who held immense power. Sadly though, the invisible crevasse between Touga and his wife did not fully mend. The cold war between the two raged on.

As for Sesshoumaru, he was as silent as ever. However, he started taking more interests in observing his father's movements. Touga did not know that Sesshoumaru was trailing him whenever he went to visit Izayoi, nor did he notice that Sesshoumaru was present to watch the quarrels between him and his wife. The young youkai learned a lot through his observations and instinctively, he knew something unfortunate was about to happen.

He did not have to wait long.

* * *

"There we go," Izayoi smiled to herself as she finished her final touches on the painting. She placed the paper aside to dry while she prepared her morning tea. Life for the past month had been, at best, sedentary. It wasn't that she was unhappy, on the contrary, she felt more at home in this peaceful location. But she also hoped that she could do something more than make tea, paint, write and read the whole day. Call it her sixth sense, but she could feel that something big was going to happen in her life soon.

Touga had made sure that she was fully supplied with all the things she needed. He even found a capable and loyal servant for her to do all the chores around the place. She was truly indebted to that man.

As of late though, Izayoi realized that all she could think of was the demon lord. He plagued her thoughts at day and her dreams at night. Whenever he visited, she became happy. They would talk for hours about the most mundane things. Sometimes she would talk about her old life while he talked about the recent going-on in the outside world. There was a silent mutual agreement that they avoided any topics regarding her father and Touga's occupation altogether because to do so would bring unwanted anxiety and misery. However, Izayoi was no fool. She knew by her beating heart and blushing cheeks that she was in love with the demon lord who had saved her three times. But she also knew that it was not proper decorum to pursue after a married man. Nonetheless, she still hoped the painting that she did would let him understand just a little and perhaps…he could return the feeling?

Little did she know that Touga had been feeling the same turmoil. For the past two months, Touga had been restless at night. At first he thought it was due to the stress from the recent attacks from China again. However, he found his thoughts constantly weaving its way back to that one human woman. He would see her smiling radiantly or laughing at some petty joke that he said. Her presence would wash away all his frustrations and leave him feeling refreshed again. And as the attention grew, Touga realized that Izayoi was his intended, his mate. It was an ancient lore that all mortals have a soul mate and when they meet, they would be attracted to each other. It was such an old lore that hardly anyone gave a thought to it anymore. The lore didn't say that soul mates _must_ marry each other; it only stated that they will be attracted to each other through an invisible bond. Anything after that depended upon the couple's initiative. For that, Touga was thankful. He didn't want to be 'forced' into a relationship with Izayoi because of the bond between the two of them. It was wrong. He still had a family to care about, although that family was slowly crumbling apart.

* * *

"Good morning, my lady, I see that the lively spring has lured you out into the garden. It is a wonderful day to be outside, is it not?" Touga greeted Izayoi in his usual way as he made his weekly visit. She was outside in the garden, basking in the sunlight.

Izayoi smiled fondly at the mischievous tone underlying his usual greeting. She would return his reply with a witty remark of her own, and the playful but polite banter would go on. Occasionally they would 'accidentally' brush their hands, or bump into each other when they navigate through the narrower paths in the garden. When they made a round through the garden and reached Izayoi's residence, she gestured for Touga to follow her and hurried inside to gather the painting she worked on earlier.

_This is it_. Izayoi thought to herself, _I am fully undressing my feelings through this painting. Whether or not he will accept it is my own undoing. _She exhaled the breath that she had been holding and pushed the painting into Touga's hands. He glanced curiously at the rolled up paper in his hands.

"I am working on a new technique of painting lately, and I thought I could give it to you as a present for helping me. It is not much considering all the things you have done for me. For that, I am truly grateful and when the time comes, I hope to repay you back in full." A blush flared angrily across Izayoi's face as she said this. She darted her head down to hide her embarrassment, though she did secretly peek from under her bangs to gauge his reaction.

Touga smiled at her innocence and unrolled the painting. On the paper was a picture of a lone lotus plant located in the middle of a vast lake. However, instead of one lotus flower, there were two lotus flowers blossoming out of one stalk, their heads facing away from one another. In the background, two birds were flying around each other, their tails twisting in a bright show of colors. His smile dropped significantly and Izayoi's heart dropped along with it.

"I…thank you for the painting, it is most wonderful." Touga replied tightly back. "But I think I need to return to my palace now, there is something I still need to do." He folded the painting carefully and placed it inside his robes. When he was about to exit the residence, he looked back and saw Izayoi's crestfallen face. He sighed, making his way back to the woman and placing a hand under her chin so she would look up at him. "I'm sorry. I just…needed some time to think. I will visit again when I take care of the errands back at home."

"Don't worry," Izayoi waved off his hand as cheerfully as she could. "There was no other meaning behind the painting; it is merely an attempt on my part at drawing new subjects. I had never drawn a lotus flower and birds before. But let me not dally you any longer, you need to return to attend to your government and…family."

The pause in the sentence had not gone unnoticed. Touga looked at her a moment longer and went away. The painting felt like lead in his robes, weighing his heart down. He knew what it meant. The two birds and two-headed lotus was a symbol of undying love between two lovers. He finally knew Izayoi's feelings towards him now, but he did not know what to do with his own.

* * *

"The casualties are rising…"

"We've barely made grounds in the port…"

"The mourning must be postponed due to the recent outbreak…"

The depressing reports were endless. After he had got back from his rendezvous with Izayoi, Touga had been swamped by reports from various scouts. He had placed the painting in his study room and proceeded to meet all the council men and generals. The war with China had taken a turn for the worse, and what worried him most was that there were news of opportunistic attackers from inland Japan too. One of them was Ryuukotsusei, a powerful dragon demon that resided in the North not too far off. Rumor had it that he was starting to become unruly.

"You look pale, my son," One of Touga's most trusted council men and cherished friend since childhood approached him after the meeting. He was an ancient demon that had served Touga's father before he was even born. Touga had always considered him as part of his own family. "Is there something bothering you?"

"I am fine," Touga mumbled, although he knew it was a lie. Everything was not fine. He was stressed from all the setbacks he had heard about his army, worried about Ryuukotsusei's movements, despaired over his relationship with his wife and confused about his emotions towards a certain human woman. Everything was not fine indeed!

His friend knew as well that he was lying but chose not to comment upon it. "I've actually came here for another business. I think we should keep an eye on Ryuukotsusei as a precaution since he is a formidable foe. I have a proposal for you: I volunteer to go and spy on him." He held up a claw to prevent Touga from speaking, "pardon me sir, while I understand that it is dangerous, someone must get the job done. We don't have a lot of spare men currently due to the war. Why not send someone like me who had been sitting idle around in the council? At least I could be of some use."

"Sir Ito, I appreciate your efforts, but you must not forget your old age!"

Ito smiled grimly and slapped Touga on the back. "I may be old and less able, but I have years of experience to back me up. I know about utilizing the geographical terrain to hide myself than anyone else."

At his pleading look, Touga had to relent. His friend used to be a good warrior before being wounded critically in a past battle. While Ito had recovered tremendously, he was never as able as before. For fear of his friend's life again, Touga had assigned him to a seat in the council and made sure that he was not sent on too many difficult missions. Now that they are lacking in personnel, his friend was an ideal choice.

"You may go, but please be careful. Return immediately if anything seemed wrong, don't be stubborn and stay in the danger zone." Touga consented finally.

"Thank you very much for granting my wish. I will not disappoint you." Ito bowed, ready to leave. "Touga, if you wish to talk to anyone, feel free to talk to me when I come back." He left to prepare for his mission, leaving Touga alone in the chamber.

* * *

"My lord, another village has been desiccated by the youkai. This is the fourth one in one week."

"I understand, you may leave," Izayoi's father waved his hand in dismissal as he watched the messenger exit. He turned his eyes upon his council men. "As you have heard, my fellow men, the youkais seemed to have forgotten their side of the treaty and attacked us. Youkais are malicious creatures that cannot be trusted whatsoever. We have placed our trust in them by establishing a treaty with them properly, and yet they return our kindness by destroying our villages. What do you propose we do?"

"We declare war with them." It was the unanimous answer from the members.

"Then so be it, let us declare war. Gather all the human clans from near and far." The lord nodded his head in approval. He had been seeking the chance to attack the youkais for his daughter's loss, and now the time was ripe for it.

Unfortunately, what he did not know was that the youkais that have been attacking them were foreign youkais from China. A part of the Chinese youkai army had broken off and circled around the Western Land, intending to attack them from the back in a 'sandwich' style ambush. Some of the stray youkais from the army decided to feed upon the nearby human village. The humans could not distinguish between the different types of youkais and thought that it was Touga's subjects that were attacking them.

After Touga went to meet his council men, a servant was sent in to clean up his room. She busied about sweeping the floors to make sure it was spotless. While doing so, her broom accidentally bumped against the table and a painting fell to the floor. It unrolled across the floor to reveal a two-headed lotus and two intertwining birds.

"Oh my," the servant picked up the painting and studied it. "This certainly is exquisite. I hope I didn't ruin the painting." She scanned the painting carefully to make sure there were no blemishes on it.

"What do we have here? A snooping servant?"

The cold voice brought the servant out of her examination. She turned around to behold the Lady of the Western Land.

"I-I'm terribly sorry, my lady. I was cleaning the floors and accidentally upset one of Lord Inu no Taishou's painting. I was merely checking for any blemishes on the painting." The servant quickly explained herself, not wanting to face the wrath of the Lady. She bowed low on the ground, hoping that her humble attitude would appease the demoness or at least lessen her punishment.

Luckily for her, Touga's wife was not paying attention to her rambling. The Lady was more concerned with the painting in the servant's hands. "Give me that," she snatched the painting away from the servant. Upon seeing the painting, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"So this is why he refuses to apologize."

* * *

The next two days were quickly turning from bad to downright nightmarish for the dog general. He had not slept at all in the past few nights since he was busy with war meetings. Not only was Touga overwhelmed by all the reports of the battle nearby, he had also received bad news that the humans were declaring war. He knew that the humans were mistaken, but he did not know how to settle the issue. All the messengers that he had sent had either came back dejected or wounded since the humans would not hear his explanation. But he did not want to confront Izayoi's father on the battlefield either. The human lord was not a bad man, just slightly deluded and stubborn. If he had harmed the human lord, how was he ever going to explain it to Izayoi?

Suddenly there were voices outside his room. He could hear his servants saying to someone that he was busy, but the female voice brushed them aside. The shouji slid aside to reveal his wife. Her expression spelled trouble.

"I am glad to see that you have decided to return after your…_nightly_ absences," the Lady gave a sinister smile. The emphasis in her words escaped Touga's notice. "And how are you feeling? You must be stressed from all the work as of late."

Partly confused about his wife's sudden concern over his health, but also extremely jaded from his work, Touga did not suspect his wife at all. He merely answered her truthfully, "indeed, I have not slept for the past few days. Did you know that the human lord had just declared war on us? It was over a trivial mistake! They thought that our youkais were the ones that were attacking them!"

The smile disappeared from his wife's face as she regarded him with a superior attitude. "And did I not warn you before not to show mercy towards those lowly beings? See how they repay your generosity."

Perhaps he was tired of his wife's incomprehension or perhaps he was too stressed, but Touga's patience finally snapped. "Keep your words to yourself if you cannot appreciate the efforts that I have made! I worked hard for the coexistence of the two races and yet you cannot understand all that I have gone through just to keep this fragile relationship up! Then again, when had you supported me fully? When had you lent a tiny ounce of understanding to my cause?"

Not to be spoken down to, the Lady also hissed back. "At least I am not the one cheating behind one's back!" With a quick flick of her hand, she sent a gust of wind towards the table, strong enough to knock the painting off the ground. It fell to the ground and unrolled to reveal the picture.

Touga's face paled as he saw the painting, but anger quickly overrode it. "Is this the whole reason behind your strange behavior today? You thought that I was seeing another woman!"

"Explain the painting then," suddenly the Lady was calm again, but the sneer on her face did not disappear. She knew that she had the upper hand since she had the concrete evidence. "If you were not seeing a woman, explain to me the meaning of this painting then. And perhaps you could also explain your unannounced absence once per week."

"I-" Touga was at a loss of words. Technically speaking, he was indeed seeing a woman, but not in _that_ way. He was merely helping someone in need of help. Or at least that was what he thought he was doing. His heart, however, was beating a different tune. It was saying that he saw the woman because he was attracted to her. "I have personal things that I have to attend to."

"I hardly think that there is anything more personal than the needs of your _family_." His wife scoffed haughtily. "Your avoidance of the topic has just confirmed my words and suspicions. You are such a disgrace."

"Enough! Sometimes I wonder what I see in you," Touga growled and made his way across the room, ignoring the indignant sputters of his wife. "I will no longer tolerate your insolence. Until you learn your place, I suggest that you refrain from talking to me." He slammed the shouji shut and went into his council room. It was better to meet up with his generals right now than talk to his infuriating wife.

If Touga had not been so angry and guilty over being caught, he would have noticed Sesshoumaru outside his room, watching him with narrowed eyes. Perhaps if he had not been in such a hurry to escape the situation, he would have noticed the disappointed look and bitter tone when his wife spoke the last words.

Unfortunately for Touga, the council room was an equally bad choice. When he entered the room, he was met with the grim faces of his generals. They were sitting in a circle discussing something in a hushed tone. When they saw Touga, they rose and bowed unanimously.

As they settled down again, quite a few of them averted their eyes. There was a tense moment of silence.

"Is something the matter?" Touga glanced around at the uneasy generals, his apprehension rising.

After what seemed like an eternity, one of the older general finally spoke. "My lord, I am afraid that we bear bad news for you. We just received words that the honorable council man Ito, whom you sent to observe Ryuukotsusei, passed away this morning."

Time seemed to stop as the news slowly sank into Touga's mind. His long-time childhood friend, who had always been by his side through thick and thin, was dead. It was only two days ago that they talked. "How did it happen?"

"We are not sure, but he was attacked by someone on the way. We had only been able to retrieve part of his body, the other half was gone…"

The rest of the conversation was drowned out as images of his friend lying broken in a barren field kept on replaying in Touga's mind. A ton of 'what ifs' circled around like annoying flies. What if he had refused his friend's request? What if he had allowed his friend to join the battle as an official rather than send him on a one-man's quest? What if he had been the one to spy on Ryuukotsusei instead? He was in a daze and ignored the concern voices around him.

When Touga finally became aware of his surroundings again, he found himself in his feral form cruising through the sky. Although he was in a daze a few moments ago, his body acted naturally and guided him towards Izayoi's residence. That was the only place that he knew would calm him down. He needed some time alone, far away from the strives of the world, and calm the blood pumping in his veins. He did not know how to describe his emotions at the moment: anger, sadness, depravity, helplessness…

He landed none too majestically in the garden and stumbled a bit like a drunken man. What did he want? What should he do? He tripped on a stone and fell down, but did not get up. He was content to lie amidst the roses and stare blankly at the sky.

Eventually, the sound of footsteps approached, followed by an inaudible gasp.

"Touga-sama?"

It was her again. The woman who had brought so much trouble into his life, and yet filled it with a satisfaction that he had not felt before. Without looking at her, he could imagine her face. He traced invisible lines in the air as he drew out her facial features. He was dimly aware of her frantic voice and her hands shaking him gently, trying to bring him out of his stupor. It would be so nice to just close his eyes and let everything disappear.

"Touga-sama, Touga-sama!" Izayoi worried as she saw the handsome demon closed his eyes and laid still. "Someone, help me! Touga-sama is in trouble!"

Eventually the servant came out, saw Touga's form and quickly came to help him up. Together with Izayoi, they half-dragged, half-carried the demon inside the house. They lay him down on one of the futons. The demon hardly budged at all to acknowledge his consciousness.

"What do you think could have happened to him?" Izayoi asked as she pressed a wet cloth to his forehead.

The servant examined him slightly before pronouncing "I think his lordship is in shock. My brother fell down from a cow before and fell into shock. The symptoms seem to be the same so far."

Izayoi nodded as she listened to the servant. A thousand questions swam through her mind: what could have gotten a strong demon like him into shock? She glanced down at the handsome demon and brushed at his bangs gently.

_ Please be fine_.

* * *

Touga awoke to the incessant crickets in the background and the stifling heat. His head was pounding and he felt a headache coming on. _Where was he?_ He attempted to sit up and realize that what had caused the unbearable heat was a thick blanket draped across his body. His armor had been removed and stacked neatly on the side. His hair had also been released from the binds of his hair tie and lay scattered about his body. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that he was in Izayoi's residence. That was when the memories of what happened hit him full force.

All of a sudden, Touga felt like a small child again, helpless and desperately searching for security. It had been years since he felt the burning sensation of tears behind his eyes. Tears were something that he had forfeited long ago when he inherited the title of Lord of the Western Land. It would do no good to display weakness in front of his subjects and enemies. He learned how to bury his emotions within a mask of power and confidence, and how to become the figure that led people. Not once did people consider the fact that he needed to rely on someone too.

Finally, things were starting to crumble, one disappointment after the other. The portrait of the happy family that he had been trying to construct for so long was non-existence. His childhood friend was no longer at his side, which was entirely his fault. He had to find a way to face Izayoi's father, whom he did not want to hurt. He met a woman whom he felt an unnatural attraction towards. His people were suffering from the war…

It was all too much for Touga. Sure, he had been in tight situations before since China had attacked more than once. But he had not been in a situation where he was physically, mentally _and_ emotionally drained.

"Sir Touga, are you alright?"

Touga whipped his head around to stare at the woman before him. She was looking back at him with genuine worry. Perhaps she thought he could not see her clearly in the darkness, but she was wearing a thin nightgown. She looked like an angel with just the plain white attire on.

"I am fine, lady Izayoi," he grouched out as he bury his face in his hands, willing everything to disappear. He stiffened when he heard shuffling and felt soft hands engulfed him in an embrace.

"It's going to be alright. Even if the world seem to be falling apart right now, just know that there will always be someone supporting you," Izayoi whispered soothingly as she stroke his hair. It took a lot of courage for her to overcome her shyness and approach the demon to hug him, but she felt that he needed some emotional support right now. He looked so lost…

The embrace was such a simple gesture, without ulterior motives or romantic notions. It was just a simple embrace that was meant to sooth him, to wash away his worries. It was an embrace that was filled with understanding and acceptance. And because of this, Touga finally allowed the tears to escape his eyes. Without thinking, he buried his head against Izayoi's neck and hugged her tightly as if she was his lifeline. His body shook as silent tears ran down his cheeks.

To say surprise was an understatement for Izayoi when Touga hugged back. She could feel his warm tears soaking through her nightgown. It was unnerving to watch such a strong man break down, but somehow she understood. She understood the need to bottle up one's emotions; after all, all those years living in her home, she was molded by her father to become the standard image of an upper-class lady. That was why she had the forest to help her calm down and be herself again. Only in that forest can she express herself fully.

"Thank you." At length, Touga stopped his tears and untangle himself from the petite woman. For a moment he was worried that she would laugh at his weakness, but all he saw when he looked up was her gentle smile. His felt his heart lurched and he knew in that moment that he loved her regardless of whether she was his mate or not. Without preamble, he leaned forward and kissed Izayoi.

Izayoi was shocked. She was unable to move as she felt Touga's lips on her. The kiss was neither passionate nor gentle. It was firm and filled with conviction of a decision made. When he pulled away, she was breathless. "Sir Touga, this is indecent!" Deep down though, she felt the tingle that went between them when their lips touched. It was a pleasant feeling and she craved for more.

"I apologize for my sudden behavior," Touga explained sheepishly, "but I thought that I could perhaps affirm my feelings for you, as you have in the painting. However, if you wished to take back that…" Before Touga could finish his sentence, he felt Izayoi kissed him on the forehead.

"Thank you, thank you, Sir Touga, you did not know how much this meant for me." Izayoi closed her eyes as she felt tears of happiness roll down her cheeks. "I knew not when, but my heart gradually belonged to you over the time we spent together. I was terribly afraid because you already had a family that loved you."

Touga sighed when she mentioned his 'loving' family. "Lady Izayoi, you misunderstood. While I strove for a complete family, it was never within my grasp. I have failed to become a proper father and good husband." He smiled bitterly to himself. He started when he felt Izayoi hugged him again.

"You are not a bad father or husband; it's just perhaps fate dictating your path." She smiled up at him and kissed him again on the lips.

"Lady Izayoi," Touga started as his eyes glazed over.

"Izayoi, just call me Izayoi tonight. And let us be a pair of normal woman and man for the night." Izayoi whispered.

"Izayoi…" Touga closed his eyes and let fate direct his decision…

A gust of wind blew outside the residence as it shed the trees of their early blossoms. Flower petals rained violently down in a shower. The petals dance amidst the air as it fell down, twisting and turning, flashing its brilliance for one more time before landing on the ground. Fireflies mimicked the petals as they weaved amongst the grasses, darting in and out, in and out in an endless dance. Complementing the beauty of the firefly dance was the din of the crickets chirping. Their song rise in ecstasy and grew in volume to a deafening roar before dying out again.

Up in the heavens above, a comet flew across the sky, leaving behind it the swirling masses of clouds. Finally, all one could see were the stars and the grand Milky Way.

**A/N:**

Wow, it's been quite awhile since I updated this story. But writing this chapter was like pulling teeth out for me. I have already trashed 4 previous copies of this chapter, and I finally said to myself "if I trash one more copy, I am never going to update this chapter." And so, I decided to stick with this version, even though I am really unhappy with the transitions, plot and writing in this chapter. It did not help either that lately all the writings I have done are only academical or scientific writing, so the writing style is very different from writing a fiction.

I've also written this chapter while listening to this song 'Fate' by Kokia, so perhaps you could listen to it while reading to get more of the mood? Haha

On the one note, the idea of the lotus and birds come from the Chinese proverb "在天愿为比翼鸟、在地愿为并蒂莲", which symbolize undying love between two lovers. I've always loved this proverb since it is very poetical.

I'll also give you special kudos if you know what the last two paragraph was referring to and if you can make that connection between the images and the underlying meaning.

...

...

And if you don't, here's the answer: they are having sex. Now try to re-interpret the words again from this perspective (hopefully you can see the connection between certain images and certain...actions). The whole idea is based off one of the most well-written sex scene I have read in a Chinese literature. Whereas I notice most people like to write about sex either explicitly or pass over it briefly in a short sentence (e.g they had sex. Next morning she went to work etc etc.), I have never read someone who manage to combine aesthetic images and write about sex explicitly without being technically 'explicit'. It is up to the readers to make that connection. And I have to admit, it is by far one of the most beautiful and well-constructed sex scene that I have read. (No wonder that author was famous...). Now you finally get why I place the warning at the start of the chapter no?

Anyhow, enough of my running commentary on sex scenes...

** Queen Emily the Diligent** and **Death2society**: Thank you for the reviews and glad you guys find it interesting so far!

** ALiC.P**: Yeah, I find it more interesting to differentiate the demonic system from the human system. And yes, things definitely turn sour in this chapter xD But there was tadbit of sweetness in the end too :)


	13. Of Chess Pieces and Discovery

Of Chess Pieces and Discovery

Touga awoke to the glaring sunlight penetrating through his eyelids. He shifted slightly and beheld the wondrous sight of the beautiful woman lying across his chest. Her mouth was slightly opened as she breathed softly. Silky raven hair mingled with silver, sprawling across the two bodies like a blanket. The image was broken when Izayoi woke groggily.

"Good morning Izayoi, I hope you had a good sleep," Touga kissed her on the forehead while toying absently with a strand of her hair. He had decided that after being _that_ intimate, they might as well drop their formal titles when addressing each other.

Izayoi did not react as well as Touga did. Her eyes tentatively strayed down to their naked bodies and her cheeks burst into crimson flames. She quickly extracted herself from Touga and used her discarded clothing to cover her body.

"I- I am sorry, Sir Touga. I did not know what got over me last night! Last night was-"

"-a memorable experience." Touga silenced her with his finger. "Last night was a memorable experience in which two lovers consummate their love for one another. Both of us consented…nay, _desired_this union. There is nothing to be ashamed of." He knew that last night was a result of intense emotions and neither of them was really in their right state of mind at that time. However, he also felt that what they did was right.

"But you already had a family of your own! It is not right for me to come in as a third wheel," panic was still evident on Izayoi's face. Internally, she was warring with herself. A part of her felt satisfied, another part of her felt immense guilt. She was a mistress for heaven's sake! She was a woman that no longer possessed any marriage values regardless of how beautiful she was. Slowly her emotions morphed into one of horror when she realized her current situation._ If_and when Touga decided to leave her, she would be completely alone. An outcast of society. She had seen women like that when she was younger. They were called derogatory names that aimed to rip them of any sense of dignity.

Touga watched the change of expressions on her face. He knew what she was thinking and the fears that she was harboring right now. It worried him that she was still so timid after their night together. Nonetheless, he would do anything to assuage her fears. He gently placed a hand upon her shoulder. "Izayoi, look at me."

When said woman refused to do so, he tucked a hand under her chin and guided her head up to look at him. "I said before that this is a union between the two of us, which means that both parties are equally responsible for the event that transpired last night. Do not fear, for I will take full responsibility of your status."

Izayoi widened her eyes at his declaration. This was almost the equivalent of claiming her as a wife! Whatever fears inside of her evaporated into thin air as she felt assured by his confident remark and sincere face.

"I…This is…" Words escaped Izayoi's lips at that moment, so she opted for a bolder route to express her gratitude. She planted a kiss on the demon's forehead. She quickly withdrew afterwards with a rosy blush riding on her cheeks.

"I take it then that you are fine with what transpired," Touga broke into a rare grin and leaned in for another kiss. Deep down, he knew that he should inform the woman about her father's war declaration. However, he extinguished it, not wanting to worry her more than necessary.

* * *

_Almost there._ Takemaru thought to himself as he dragged his feet up the mountainside. He glared at the midday sun overhead. It was making his trip unbearable.

Earlier, he saw a large dog demon cruised across the sky towards the Western horizon. The demon was well concealed amidst the high clouds, and if it wasn't by chance that he scrutinized the clouds, he would not have noticed the demon. Putting two and two together, Takemaru figured that this was the same dog demon that took his princess away. He was immediately suspicious about the dog demon's intent. The way that the demon lord traveled amidst the cloud was meant to be stealthy and that meant that the demon lord was hiding something – something that could possibly be critical in changing the tides of war.

Originally Takemaru was supposed to be shadowing his lord into the battlefield. But he convinced his lord to stall the attack for a few more days while he personally searched for a route to ambush the demons. It was not going to be easy considering that the demons had significantly greater geographical and physical advantages.

What he had not expected to see was the demon lord speeding across the sky. It surprised him that the leader himself was not fighting amongst his people. Perhaps this search would turn out highly beneficial after all. His train of thoughts halted when he saw an imposing figure a few feet ahead.

"So it seems that I have found you, _demon_," Takemaru spat out as he eyed the figure distastefully.

"Perhaps it would be the other way around – _I_ have found you instead," Sesshoumaru replied levelly back, though he was feeling the urge to engrave his claw marks into the insolent human.

"What business do you have with me then? I assume you to be the kind of demon that would bother with humans only when necessary." Takemaru's words were mainly fueled by his hatred for these demons. Otherwise, he would be scampering away right now at the hostile glare sent his way.

"I only wish to inform you that you petty beings do not stand a chance against us. It would be a futile effort."

"A futile effort that would still result in some bloodshed on your part," Takemaru replied. "Whether you like it or not, we will not be intimidated."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the human's stubbornness. Although he was always known as the 'ice prince', inwardly he still possessed an eager ambition to assist his father. But that was not the main reason why he was here. A flash of bitterness struck him whenever he thought about the human princess. The princess whom his father went after and the reason why he was no longer the center of attention.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

"Why is it that you humans seek war?"

Takemaru looked suspiciously at the demon before him. "And why is it that you wish to know?"

Not lowering himself to answer a human's question, Sesshoumaru continued on, "I believe that your goal is only to retrieve the human princess, is it not?" Without waiting for a response, he went on, "what if I were to tell you the location of the princess? Would that satisfy you measly humans?"

He watched as Takemaru seem to weigh the option in his mind. Finally, Takemaru asked: "And how would that benefit you? I fail to see why you would lend an assisting hand unless telling me would benefit your cause."

"Let us assume that by disposing of her, it would also resolve some of my personal issues."

Sensing that he was not getting any more out from the demon prince, Takemaru relented. "Fine, tell me where the princess is, and I will persuade my lord to retrieve his soldiers. I warn you in advance though that I cannot warrant that this would happen, it all depends on my lord's decision." It was not in his original intention to agree to the demon's term, but if he managed to retrieve the princess safely, he could minimize the bloodshed on his side. And judging by what he knew about the reputation of the dog demons and the demon prince's stoic face, he could trust the demons to a certain extent. _I'll still entertain the benefit of doubt though_, Takemaru thought to himself.

"If you continue on for two days, you would arrive at a mountain pass. Do not go beyond it. Instead, scout along the Westside of the mountain near sunset. When the sun is right, it would reveal a secret passageway. The passageway would only reveal itself for the briefest moment. Follow it. It is hidden amidst the mountain." With that said, Sesshoumaru turned and disappeared amidst the surrounding tree.

Takemaru stood still awhile, digesting what the demon had said. Without further ado, he hurried along, hoping that he was not fooled.

* * *

Back at the palace, Touga paced around impatiently as he awaited more reports. They had managed to regain some advantage and were now at a stalemate with their enemies. _That is, until the humans or Ryuukotsusei decide to exacerbate the situation, _he thought wryly. Time was an important factor on their hand now. One option was to maintain the war at a stalemate. It would be a matter of time before the Chinese demons deplete their own resources and were forced to retreat back to their own land. If his army can hold strong till then, he would not have as much to worry about. But what if unexpected alliance were formed between the mainland army and rebel groups?

Another thing that was bothering him was his inability to observe Ryuukotsusei's movements. That dragon demon was up to something, that, he was sure of. Now all he needed was someone to spy on the demon. His heart ached thinking about his demised friend. He would also need to find out whoever killed his friend.

Touga rubbed his head wearily. One of his men had said that the humans would not attack for a few more days. Time was indeed tight on his part.

"My lord, what should we do about the humans?" One of the councilmen echoed Touga's question. "I know not why they had postponed their attack, but we must do something about them. Although they are but like pinpricks to us, they are still a distraction."

It had been hours and they still hadn't reached a resolution. After deliberating some more, Touga finally made a decision that went against his own morals. Yet it was for the best. If the humans are unwilling to listen to their explanation, then they can only respond in kind.

"I'll talk to their leader. If they still insist on attacking, we retaliate."

* * *

Three more days flew by as each side readied their own manpower. The Chinese demons did not relent in their attacks. They continued on with as much force as they could muster. For many years to come, this attack would be recorded as one of the most ferocious and famous one. Attacks in the form of demonic powers or artificial weapons rained down from the sky, decorating the battlefield with corpses. Bodies piled atop one another, their faces and attires so mangled that one could not distinguish which side they were from. Survivors recalled how rivers turned the color of red from the amount of blood intermixing. Fires, robberies, rapes became a common sight in the countryside.

And still the humans waited for Takemaru's return. And still there were no sign of him.

"Sir Takemaru has not returned as he promised. I fear that he has met an untimely end. To avenge this loyal soldier, we follow our original plan and strike tomorrow." Izayoi's father announced to his army on the night of the third day.

And still Ryuukotsusei remained quiet. No one knew what he was up to.

The world watched with bated breath as the chest pieces came together one by one.

* * *

It took him longer than expected to reach the mountain pass. Takemaru cursed at his own stupidity for not asking for more details. How was he to seek out an elusive passageway along a mountain that splayed itself across the landscape, disappearing into the faraway horizon? Perhaps he had been too trusting and played right into the hands of the demons. No doubt his lord would think that he was a lost cause and resume the original plan. Without him by his lord's side to offer valuable aid, his lord was vulnerable.

As he mentally berated himself for his foolishness, his sight strayed to the mountainside. It was almost sunset. The rays of sunlight alighted the mountain rocks with stunning gold. As Takemaru's eyes roved over the rocks in an attempt to encompass as much of the mountain as possible, he thought he saw an uncanny shift of color in one of the rocks. Instead of the usual dull grey, it was slightly brown and roughly the size of a grown man. It was mostly shrouded in shadows and surrounded by thick vines, making it hard to identify if one didn't know what one was looking for.

He made his way to the rock. It was positioned on a ledge that was not too far off and didn't require too many climbing. He tried pushing on the rock from all angles, but it would not budge one bit. Once again doubt clouded his mind. And to think for a moment there that he had finally found the secret passageway!

As Takemaru turned away from the rock, he accidentally slipped on some pebbles, causing him to lose his footing. Instinctively, he stretched his hand and grabbed onto anything. His hand came in contact with the rock and he clung onto a part of it. As he swung himself against the mountainside, kicking his feet in an attempt to find a ledge that would hold him, he was surprised to find his feet going through the vines and rocks into empty air. The surprise caused him to loosen his hold and with it, his body tumbled into an empty cavern. When he looked back again, he was surprised to find the entrance covered by rocks and vines.

He recognized this as the work of fox demons, which are well-known for their skills in illusionary arts. It was not how he expected the secret passageway to be found. He had imagined a more grandiose entrance that appeared magically under the sunset. But at least he found the secret passageway – albeit by pure coincidence.

There were worn staircases winding into the darkness for who knows how long. As Takemaru followed the steps, fox fires erupted on empty sockets on the wall. Even though there were no fox demons nearby, the magic ingrained into the hideout was still very strong. He shuddered to think how powerful Touga might actually be if he could afford such strong soldiers.

Soon, the passageway stopped at a dead end. Takemaru reached his hand out to feel the wall, and was less surprised this time when his arm went through it. What greeted him was beyond his imagination. It was a small-scale palace hidden amidst the mountains!

* * *

Izayoi was feeling restless ever since Touga left. As she watched his retreating form, she suddenly had the urge to embrace him and never let him go. Despite his reassurance, she had a feeling this was the first and last peaceful time she will ever spend with him. The next few days were spent in agonizing anxiety. The air itself was tense with an unknown force.

"Who are—" Her servant's voice was cut short by a strange gurgling sound.

Izayoi was instantly on full alert. Someone had managed to find out and invade her secret paradise. She panicked when she realized that Touga had not left any bodyguards with her because of his firm trust in the secrecy of the location.

"Princess."

She widened her eyes at the sight of the familiar man.

* * *

Back at the Western Land, war had risen to a fevered state. On one side, Touga's army was battling the Chinese demons; on the other side, they were warding off the advancing humans. So far there were no drastic measures taken on the part of the humans yet. They only attacked in small, random groups, breaking up and retreating before Touga's army could gather. It seemed that the humans were testing the extent of the demons' prowess.

And then, on one dawn, four days after Takemaru's departure, the humans struck.

It was a planned attack to strike Touga's army when they were most occupied with the Chinese demons.

"Fire the marking arrow!" A whole barrage of arrows was fired as far as possible into the distance, marking the range that the weapon can cover. Whichever terrestrial demon that dared cross the line was immediately fired at. Distanced at the utmost behind of the human army was an array of spiritualists: monks, priests, priestesses and the like. Their incantations filled the air as they erected a barrier around the army, shielding them from attacks above.

Touga's men were not really trying to harm the humans. It seemed unfair to fight against people who are physically much weaker than them. However, their patience was waning quickly. At first they tried using scare tactics against the humans, but were unpleasantly surprised to find the humans more adamant than they originally assumed. Added to the fact that they were also dealing with the Chinese army, it was no wonder that Touga's army started losing their tolerance. Their defense slowly turned into offense and their attacks became rougher and rougher against the humans.

The two sides sparred with each other ceaselessly, not even bothering to stop at night.

Even though the humans had attacked when Touga's army was most engaged in battle with the Chinese demons, they were still fighting a losing battle. Their spiritualists were only so limited and they require long periods of rest after exhausting their spiritual reservoir. Slowly, the frontier of the human army was pushed back.

"My lord, we are losing our grounds!"

Izayoi's father clutched his sword tightly. "We are not going anywhere until I obtained my daughter – even at the risk of our lives."

"This is madness," a lesser lord spoke up. He was one of the lords that were recruited for the war. "I did not join this war on a suicide mission. If you insist on this meaningless attack, I shalt withdraw my support." Several other minor lords nodded their assent.

"Withdraw? I am afraid that is not an option." Izayoi's father replied all too calmly. Without preempt, he swung his sword in a big arc and beheaded the lesser lord's head. It rolled a few distance to rest in front of the other lords. "Does anyone else wish to join him?" There was only silence that greeted him. "Good, I expect the attack to continue on."

Just then, a minor footman ran into the tent. "S-Sir, we have a problem."

"And what might that be?" Izayoi's father turned on him with a furious expression, unhappy with the interruptions.

"The-the demon-" The footman did not finish his sentence as another voice interrupted him.

"I am sorry for the disturbance." Touga appeared before them in his armor like a regal king before his servants. "But I think it is about time we talked."

Izayoi's father backed off slightly, but quickly regained his stature. "What do we have to talk about, demon? You stole my daughter from me, and unless you return her, we are not going anywhere."

Touga furrowed his brows at the stubborn human. "I did not steal her away from you. It was on her own request that I take her away from the confines of her home."

"Liar!" The lord swung his sword with all strength at the demon. "Why would she want to leave her home? You defile her reputation!"

For all the strength that the human placed into the swing, it was easily blocked by Touga. "You were wrong. Your daughter wishes to escape because she can no longer tolerate the oppressive atmosphere back there. I ask that you leave her here—"

"So that you can kill her later on?" Izayoi's father bellowed angrily. He struggled to free his sword from Touga's grasp. At this stage, he was already slightly crazed with the loss of his daughter. Logical reasoning was beyond his grasp.

"So that I can love her and treat her the way that she is supposed to be treated." Touga answered grimly. He didn't want to confess his feelings for her in front of everyone, but if that was what going to silence the human, it would do.

His comment did the trick. All the humans within the perimeter were stunned into silence. Some of them had their mouth gaping open like a fish out of the water. But the peaceful silence was cut short by a derisive laughter.

"You? In love with her? What nonsense is this that I am hearing?" Izayoi's father cackled in a particularly nasty way. "Are you that desperate to resort to such preposterous claims? If that is the case, I applaud you for your originality, but it is not going to change any of my resolutions." His tone suddenly dropped all its humor. "I am not going until I get my daughter back."

He took another swing at Touga, which was blocked once again. Without stopping, he twisted his body away from Touga's while dropping the sword and quickly aimed a hidden dagger towards Touga's forehead. He snapped his wrist and the dagger flew in Touga's direction.

Out of reflex and surprise, Touga plucked the dagger midway out of the air and threw it back at the human lord. It struck and lodged deeply in the human's waist, causing him to crumble to the ground.

"Father!" A strangled cry ripped through the air.

Touga turned and beheld Izayoi with her hands covering her mouth, with what was akin to betrayal reflected in her eyes.

* * *

**A/N: **I can't believe it's almost 3 months since I last updated. Time is passing so fast now that I wanted to quote the lesser lord: "This is madness!" I had just finished the second chapter of my manga prior to writing this chapter, so it was sort of interesting, considering how I have to switch immediately from happy, comedic dialogues to somber, romantic ones. I hope I did the transition well enough. *crosses finger*

I just realized the song Endless Love probably fit Izayoi and Touga's story really well later on o_O You can search "Endless Love (English sub)/ Hu Ge ft Bai Bing" to see what I mean~

**Alic.P**: "在天愿为比翼鸟、在地愿为并蒂莲" is pronounced as "zai tian yuan wei bi yi niao, zai di yuan wei bing di lian". Literally translate to something like "Let us be the lovebirds in heaven, let us be the two-headed lotus on earth" (rough translation though). Haha I saw this phrase when I was touring Beijing. :D

Lol my un-explicit sex scenes. 3 The name of the literature is "Luo Tuo Xiang Zi" by Lao She, but I think there's a translated version out there. I think the translated title is "Rickshaw Boy". Not too sure about this since I haven't read the English version before w

And you get to see more Sesshoumaru action in this chapter! Probably the most yet in the whole story so far~

**death2society**: Glad you liked the sex scene in the previous chapter! I must say, must be the most abstract sex scene on FF. =A= Unfortunately there's no Sess's mom scenes here, but she'll appear later on! ;) Glad you like it so far!

Once again, thanks to all the reviewers and favers =D You guys made my day!


	14. Of Segregation and Revelation

**Warning: Some violence and tons of sappy moments!***

Chapter 14: Of Segregation and Revelation

Time held itself in abeyance as if compensating for the earlier rush of events. It observed the few mortals standing inside the tent. So many things were happening, yet they were all so trivial, easily mixed and lost within the folds of Time's robes. Such was the pathetic existence of all things mortal. They wailed, struggled, grappled. And all for naught! Everything would eventually be left in the shadows of the present and future, withering away in the abysmal past.

But for now, for the moment, Time would humor itself for a little bit with the mortals' struggles. It watched, ever so silently, as Sister Fate moved her chess pieces.

Izayoi was completely stunned and unable to come to terms with the whole situation. It all seemed so unreal, and not for the first time, she wished that she could turn back the tides of time and undo all the mistakes that she had made.

In front of her was her lover, the man who had loved her unconditionally and promised her sweet nothings. Even for the short span of time since they met, he had given her a taste of paradise and freedom. Yet, he was also the same man who effortlessly embedded the dagger into her father's waist, from which her father's life's essence was pouring forth.

When Touga had first turned to look at her, there was a wild glint in his eyes that was all-too-familiar. It was the same insanity that overtook demons when they slaughter others, giving rise to the craving for more blood. In her two past encounters with demons, they all wore the same look when they tried to turn her into demon-chow.

And for the first time, Izayoi feared Touga. She didn't want to be acquainted with this unrestrained side of his inner beast. It was feral, raging against its owner's consciousness, begging to be unfettered. What if it had turned on her instead of her father? Touga had promised to protect her, but can he protect her from himself?

Just as quickly, Touga's expression slipped into shock and apprehension. Was he feeling guilty for bringing harm to her father? Was she wrong in assuming that he had no control over his bloodlust? She wanted to believe that she was wrong, lest she lose all her faith in him. She was forced to remember Takemaru's harsh judgment and the truth behind it in light of the situation before her:

_Earlier…_

"Sir Takemaru, I request that you unhand me now," Izayoi said somewhat harshly. She did not appreciate the rough way in which she was handled, slung across Takemaru's shoulder like a dead weight. It hurt her abdomen whenever Takemaru's shoulder jammed into her flesh as he traipsed over the rough terrain.

"Then I apologize in advance for disobeying your orders, my princess. I am but following my duties." Takemaru huffed as he descended another slope. Despite the woman's slight frame, she was still quite a weight to carry when climbing down from the mountain.

Izayoi sighed in defeat after seeing the determined glint in his eyes. She knew that the soldier would not stop at anything once he was set on a mission. But she was curious as well. How did he manage to find her elusive residence? She voiced the question to Takemaru.

"A youkai told me," Takemaru gritted his teeth as the unpleasant image of Sesshoumaru flashed across his mind. He still had no idea what the demon would get out of uncovering his princess's location, and it irked him to no end. He didn't like being clueless to the whole scheme of things.

"But I thought you didn't trust them." Izayoi broke through his dark thoughts.

"And my opinions will not sway regardless. They are still nefarious beings, the bane of humankind. However, a desperate man will cling unto any lifeline that was presented, even if it came from an enemy."

"Why are you so desperate then?"

Takemaru stopped briefly as he considered the question. He debated whether or not to confess his feelings to the woman. In the end, he chose an answer that was ambiguous. "I was worried, my lady. It is my duty to protect your family, and yet I watched as you were abducted. Who knows what the demons can do to you. They are notorious for their evil deeds and I fear for your life." There. Let her think that his desperation stemmed from the simple sense of duty and not from his affections towards her. He hoped that she would not question him any further, and luckily for him, she didn't.

"And I insist that demons can be as kind as humans, just as how some humans are as evil as demons."

"I'll prove to you that they are all evil by nature." Takemaru muttered more to himself than the princess. Unfortunately, Izayoi heard his comment.

"How are you going to do so?"

"By bringing you back and showing you what heinous acts your precious demon general is capable of."

"Then you are sadly wrong," the cold tone edged back into Izayoi's voice. "Sir Touga may be a demon, but I know him. He would never harm anyone purposefully."

"We shall see then, my lady." Takemaru held Izayoi tightly with a grim look. He could see the chasm between him and the woman he _adored_ widening greater. He didn't want to admit that he loved Izayoi, part of him fearing the rejection that would come from her. What refined lady would look kindly upon someone from the lower class? But even if he couldn't have her, he would make sure that she belonged to no other man, much less a demon.

_Present time..._

On the other side of things, Touga was also battling his own emotions. He acknowledged guiltily that he had almost lashed out at Izayoi in surprise when she shouted. But when he saw the betrayal and crestfallen look in her eyes, he felt himself being crushed on the inside. The air escaped his lungs painfully and his spirits deflated. What had he done? Did he just nip off the bud of their fruiting love before it even blossomed? What had even possessed him to not recognize her at first? He tore his gaze off Izayoi's face and stared down at his hands as if he had just seen them for the first time. When had this pair of hands become so violent? It was not like him to harm anyone so easily. He felt shameful of his actions even if it had only been an accident.

Unbeknownst to him, he echoed the same wish that Izayoi had just made. _If only time could be reversed._ Even then, he highly doubted that he could do anything to make the outcome different. He should have known, but he had always disregarded it in hopes that fate would be kinder. How foolish of him since the outcome will always be the same: it was impossible to reach an ending where everyone emerged unscathed.

Izayoi's father looked at his daughter, then the demon lord, and then back to his daughter again. He was confused at the display of emotions between the two of them. The demon lord who had seemed so impressive before had shrunken substantially at the sight of his daughter. And the girl was no different. She looked like she had just seen a ghost. A sliver of doubt wormed its way into his heart. What if he had been the one in the wrong all along? What if the demon lord had been telling the truth and that his precious daughter was really drifting further and further away from him? He should have known, she was so much like her mother, gentle on the outside, but burning with a determined passion on the inside. They are not women that easily submit to the rules of the era and would defy the rules in their own unique way. It was what had drawn him to her mother in the first place.

The only one that seemed to have no problem dealing with the current situation was Takemaru. There had only been one and always one emotion fueling him, and that was pure anger.

"You beast!" His voice shattered the silence before him. He did not hesitate to draw his sword from its scabbard and make a charge towards Touga. He swung the sword with all his might, aiming towards Touga's neck.

The demon lord's instincts kicked in and he twisted deftly away from the sharp blade. He could feel the rush of air created by the force of the swing brush against his neck, warning him of how close Takemaru was. His eyes quickly flitted towards the human lord on the ground. At least the bleeding seemed to have slowed down somewhat, but his would still require immediate attention to prevent future infections.

"Cease! Your lord is wounded and is in need of medical attention!" Touga shouted and held his open palms towards Takemaru, hoping to placate him and show him that he did not meant any harm.

"And whose fault was it that my lord is placed in such a grave situation?" Takemaru never took his eyes off Touga's figure, but he gave a signal to his men. Two men stepped up and carried the human lord gingerly to the sidelines, away from the two battling warriors. A few healers tended the wounds. "Pray tell me, _demon_, before I kill you," he began slowly, "What did you feel when you so mercilessly plunge that dagger into my lord's waist? Did you feel ecstasy, aroused by the sight of human blood spilled so carelessly?"

"'Twas an accident. The action was guided purely by reflex, and I asked forgiveness for that. Please cease this meaningless fight and let us talk civilly." Touga backed off slightly as Takemaru advanced step by step. He did not like the hostility emanating from the man, nor the effect it had on the others around him. Takemaru's anger was affecting the men, and he could tell that a few were starting to get excited at the prospect of seeing blood.

"An accident?" Takemaru gave a derisive laugh. "Was it an accident too when some of your demon soldiers violated the treaty? Was it an accident when villages were destroyed and hundreds were left dead? You lie."

Touga narrowed his eyes suspiciously. When had his men ever violated the treaty? "Wha-" He did not finish the sentence as Takemaru launched forwards again. He blocked the blow with Tessaiga's scabbard. The special wood from which the scabbard was made deflected the human sword easily.

Takemaru wasted no time in returning a second blow. He made a slash at Touga's sword arm, hoping to disarm the demon. Said demon blocked the slash with Sounga. Seeing his chance, Takemaru followed through his attack with a powerful kick aimed towards Touga's abdomen.

Touga pushed himself backwards to avoid the kick, disentangling his sword from Takemaru's. His opponent jumped in on the chance and made a thrust again. He gritted his teeth in frustration when he realized that there was no point in convincing the man. The hatred for demons had festered for so many years that the soldier would not see reason.

Again and again, blows were mixed with kicks and slashes with thrusts. Takemaru did not halt even for a moment as he continued to parry Touga, who only defended himself. People around the tent were entranced by the deadly dance between the two. One slip was all it would take on Touga's side to seriously injure himself.

And the slip occurred all too soon, but with a twist in the outcome.

Touga realized that Takemaru was forcing him into a corner where his movements would be severely limited. It was either he retaliates or the human would make mincemeat of him. Surprisingly, Takemaru did not seem to tire at all from his efforts. The power of hatred coursed through his veins, fueling him onwards. His pace remained in the same frenzied state - blow after blow, each one attempting to cut through Touga's careful defense.

_Please let this work._ Touga thought to himself and waited for the right opportunity to come. He observed the lag time between each of the soldier's attack and when Takemaru gathered himself for the next blow, he feigned an offensive move. Much to his expectation, Takemaru quickly changed into a defensive pose to ward off the attack. The human squatted slightly to get a firmer stance and raised his sword to block the oncoming thrust. At the last minute before contact, Touga snapped his wrist and turned his sword onto its flat surface, effectively slapping Takemaru in the side instead of slicing through him. Thinking that the human was temporarily stunned, he flipped over the human's head.

What he did not foresee was Takemaru grabbing onto his sword with bare hands. The blade cut painfully into the palm, drawing fresh blood. In his surprise, Touga loosened his hold on the hilt and Takemaru successfully tugged Sounga out of his grasp. The sword landed a few feet away, glowing a deep purple as it absorbed Takemaru's blood into itself. But Takemaru did not take notice of it as he quickly drove his sword upwards into Touga's shoulder.

While still in the air, Touga did not have much momentum to turn himself away from the attack. The sword impaled him through the shoulder, lodging itself in the layers of his armor. It snapped in two as Touga landed. He clutched at his injured shoulder, feeling warm liquid gushing out from the wound. The wound was not grievous, but it had been his good sword arm that was struck.

A few distance away, Takemaru clenched his hand tightly as blood flowed generously from the cut. But he ignored the burning pain as he searched for a nearby weapon. Now that Touga was temporarily disarmed, it was his chance to make a strike back. His gaze dropped unto Sounga, which was lying close to him, pulsing with an evil purple glow. _Demons are truly evil, even the weapons they forged are tainted._ Takemaru thought to himself as he eyed the sword. It seemed to beckon towards him, promising him sweet victory. Takemaru felt a part of his resolve to not touch any demonic items crumble. _Then again, it would be a great irony to kill a demon with his own demonic sword. _

Touga raised his head and saw Takemaru running towards his discarded sword. He recognized the distinct dark aura around the sword and knew that the human would not be able to handle it.

"Don't pick it up!"

* * *

"_Enough! Sometimes I wonder what I see in you._"

It was such a simple statement, yet the words would not stop haunting her. It encircled the dark recesses of her mind, whispering maliciously towards her, caressing the flame of jealousy inside her heart. Every single syllable was like an icicle, digging further and further into her heart's chambers, twisting itself slowly, painfully. On the outside, she held herself with dignity, but on the inside, she was withering. She wanted to cower away from those harsh words, to pretend that none of these had ever happened in her life. When had the two of them grown so far apart? Were there no feelings between the two of them from the beginning? But if that was the case, then what was Sesshoumaru? Was he the fruit of two unloving parents?

Sesshoumaru's mother unclenched and clenched her fist, watching her claws dig deep gashes in her palm. She watched in fascination as thin rivulets of blood flowed from her dainty hands. It never occurred to her what Sesshoumaru thought about the 'family'. He had always kept himself guarded ever since he was young. Some part of her felt as if she had failed her son. Yes, she did spend time with him, teaching him how to master his poison attacks, how to conduct himself in court. But did she ever spent mother-to-son time with him? Did she protect him from the malignant gossipers inside the court, whose goals were to weaken the next heir to the throne? There was always a veil between the two of them. It was always about her pride, her dignity and her image. It was never about Sesshoumaru or her husband. If anything, she taught Sesshoumaru how to become aloof from the world.

_And look what happened_. The demoness thought to herself, her lips curling into a rueful smile. _The man that I cared for was snatched away by a vermin and my son had closed himself off from me_.

A part of her wanted to apologize to her husband for her conducts earlier, but another part told her that she was not the only one in the wrong. After all, her husband did cheat on her, and that was enough justification for taking her anger out on him.

"Mother, you called for me." Sesshoumaru entered the room without preempt, eyeing his mother who had her back towards him. The scent of blood assaulted his nose and he wondered what his mother was up to again.

_But there is still hope_. _As long as Sesshoumaru stands on my side, I can still remove the human wench from the picture._ She slipped on her usual facade of haughtiness and turned to smile back at her son. "Indeed, I wanted to ask you about something regarding your absences lately."

"I was out." Came the simple reply.

"Come now, don't think you can lie to your own mother. Judging by how your absences coincide with your father's, I know that you have been following him." When Sesshoumaru did not reply, she knew that her hunch was right. She beckoned for him to come closer and sit beside her. When he did so, she continued on, "If that is the case, you would know too about the human woman that my husband was seeing."

"What is it to you, mother?" There was no warmth in his voice when Sesshoumaru addressed his mother.

She leaned across the table further, a hint of dangerous curiosity in her eyes. "I think I am entitled to know more about the woman that has managed to sway my husband's heart. Tell me more about her..."

* * *

Touga watched in horror as Takemaru ran towards Sounga. Sounga can only be ruled by the righteous; otherwise it would corrupt the minds of whoever that came in contact with it. With Takemaru's mindset, it would be easy for the sword to take advantage and cause havoc. And the last thing he wanted was for this situation to spin even more out of control. But from this distance, Touga would not be able to get to Sounga in time.

Muttering an apology, Touga threw Tessaiga with his unwounded shoulder towards Takemaru. The sword transformed into its larger form upon contact, and remained briefly so as it sailed through the air.

Takemaru reached his hand out towards the sword when he heard a sharp _whoosh_ through the air. Turning his head slightly, he gaped as a huge sword flew towards his arm. If he didn't retreat, his hand would be cleaved in two. With all his might, the human threw his weight backwards, sticking his feet out in front to halt his progress. He tried to snatch his arm back as fast as he could, but it was barely fast enough. The sword skimmed across his upper arm, leaving a deep gash in its wake. It immediately transformed back into its rusty version when it landed on the ground not too far away from Sounga. Touga went to retrieve his two swords, sheathing them back into their respective encasements. Sounga gave an angry hum when it was sealed again.

"Ugh," Takemaru bit back a cry as he sunk towards the ground, his non-injured hand pressing tightly on the wound. Red was slowly seeping into the sleeves beneath his armor. The pain was surprisingly worse than he thought, and he blamed it as a result of being cut by a demon sword. The area of the wound felt like it was on fire, burning through his nerves and trying to fray the junction between his upper arm and shoulder.

It was as if the sight of Takemaru's wound finally woke everyone else up from their reverie.

"Kill the demon!" "The demons are blood-thirsty beasts!" "Take out their leader!"

Shouts of indignation rose up from all around the tent as people started advancing on Touga. They finally realized that it was easier to take out the demon in groups rather than going one-on-one.

The demon lord wore a grim look as he assessed the hectic situation. Luck was definitely not on his side today. If worse comes to worse, he would have to fight his way through the throngs of people and make a swift retreat. He could also nab Izayoi on the way out...

"Please stop..."

No one heard the tiny woman that was left out in the corner. They were all intent on coloring their weapons with the demon lord's blood.

"STOP!" Izayoi screamed at the top of her lungs, which was quite impressive considering her petite frame. It did the work. All the men in the area stopped and stared back at her in shock. Even Takemaru seemed to forget his cut for the moment as he wondered what she would do.

"Please stop this meaningless bloodshed..." Izayoi closed her eyes tightly. It was all her fault. If she had not been so stubborn and executed her little escapade, no one would be hurt. There would be no wars between the demons and humans.

_But you knew that a war was inevitable. Humans and demons have always been waging war since the start of time, and nothing you do can prevent it._ A small voice inside of her tried to reason.

'You are wrong. Even though war has always been inevitable, my disappearance had provided the perfect excuse and expedited the process.' Izayoi silenced the voice inside of her. 'Someone needs to stop this, and since I am the cause, it is my responsibility to end it. Even if it meant sacrificing myself_.'_ Oh the irony, to think that she had come all this way to escape incarceration, only to volunteer her freedom again. "I will go back."

"Lady Izayoi, this need not be -" Touga started but was stopped by Izayoi.

"It was my fault that any of this happened and I shall bear the burden myself. I will go back," she announced, hoping that her voice was not faltering. When she saw Takemaru about to voice his own opinion, she interjected. "On the one condition that all the humans withdraw from this war."

"This is impossible! Who do you think you are to command what my men do?" One of the officials shouted indignantly. "Are you telling me that we have sacrificed all these brave soldiers just so that we can beat a cowardly retreat?"

"I am telling you to withdraw so that you can prevent further deaths," Izayoi answered him calmly, staring him in the eye. She felt more confident now that she started talking. "I understand that we all wanted retribution for the comrades that have fallen, but it will not do anything if we continue pursuing this path. The only thing that awaits those who do so is more bloodshed and sadness."

"I-" The official stopped when he saw the determined look in Izayoi's eyes.

"So...be it," Izayoi's father rasped out from the ground. "As long as you are coming back, I shall respect that one condition. But that doesn't mean that you will escape punishment for your impudence."

"Thank you, father," Izayoi smiled sadly. It was expected. There was no way she could go off the hook for causing so much chaos.

"Izayoi-!" Touga stepped forward, worry laced in his voice.

"I am sorry, Sir Touga, but this is for the best. You will return to your family and I to my home. I guess we were never meant to be together from the start. Nonetheless, I thank you for giving me a taste of true freedom and happiness. So please, let me go and forget anything that had ever transpired between us." Izayoi whispered as she moved to embrace the dog demon one last time. "Farewell." She could barely contained the tears that were threatening to pour out, knowing that she would never ever see this handsome demon again.

Touga felt his heart shattered into pieces as he watched Izayoi slowly walk back towards her father. _Her _people. "Wait," He reached out to hold Izayoi's hand for the last time. "If we were to part now and never see each other again, then let me give you a last token to remember me by." He removed Tessaiga from his belt and handed it over to her. "Do not be deceived by the appearance of this sword, it had served me well and accomplished many things. This sword was forged with the sole purpose of protecting humans, and I see no other more worthy than you to possess this sword. Please, take it. It will protect you in the future."

Izayoi looked at the rusty sword in her hands. Even though it was worn out, she could still feel the power radiating from it. She barely held back a sob as she nodded her head in gratitude.

Content that she had at least some form of protection, Touga was about to leave when he saw Takemaru on the ground. "I apologize, brave soldier, for harming you thus. It may seemed rude of me then to request you one more favor, but promise me one thing: you will serve and protect lady Izayoi with your very own life."

Takemaru eyed the demon in shock. He quickly averted his eyes. "I can promise you nothing, demon. However, I already vowed to myself that I will protect the lady and her father with my life."

Touga nodded, accepting Takemaru's answer. He turned and left the humans behind.

_Farewell, Izayoi._

Things quickly calmed down after the human army left. Touga's army was able to hold out long enough for the mainland demons to exhaust their resources. With them gone, the few rebelling demon groups lost their confidence and also retreated. Strangely enough, Ryuukotsusei had not done anything throughout this period. While no reports were filing it, there were still worries that he was about to strike anytime soon.

"You left your back open to attack," Touga said as he hit Sesshoumaru from behind, sending the younger demon stumbling a few steps.

Ever since Izayoi left, Touga had put even more efforts into spending time with his family. He owed them that much. But more importantly, Touga had hoped that by immersing himself with other activities, he would forget about the beautiful human princess. She still haunted his dreams at night with her gentle smile and understanding eyes. It was driving a part of him insane. He worried nonstop about her well-being and what her punishment was.

His wife knew that he was just keeping a facade and spending time with them because he wanted to erase all memories of the human princess. But she was content at least to have him back with her. There was always the chance for him to change his heart if he was back, right?

* * *

"Lady Izayoi, your tea."

"Leave it at the mat please," Izayoi said to the attendant. The attendant heeded her order and left, locking the door behind to ensure that Izayoi cannot leave.

For her punishment, Izayoi was moved towards a remote settlement far from her father's palace and locked there. There was only one tiny window in the room, barely enough for sunlight to pass through. She was also to be monitored and attended to at every moment. The sentries outside her settlement had more than doubled as compared to the last time, cutting off any escape routes.

The poor woman lost her vigor ever since she returned. Her hair lost its luscious shine, remaining a dull black with split-ends at the fringes. Her eyes no longer shone with a warm hazel, but were instead replaced by a drab chocolate color. These eyes no longer regarded the world with excitement, choosing to stare off into faraway memories. Her lip, once so painted meticulously, was now only a careless slap-on of red. Her skin was ghastly white. She was also much thinner, after obtaining irregular sleeping and eating habits for the past few weeks. She no longer cared to make herself presentable to the crowd. Besides, it was not like anyone would visit her in this secluded area. Even her servants were avoiding her as much as possible. The only one who made the effort to talk to her was Takemaru, but she didn't want to see him. He reminded her of the incident back at the tent, and the demon lord that she left behind.

It was as if she lost her will to live ever since she parted with Touga. The woman right now was only a shadow of her past self, so weakened and depressed. If Touga had seen her state right now, he would have disregarded everything and rushed to her aid.

In a sense, Izayoi was disappointed with herself. She had left Touga promising that she would be fine. But she was far from fine right now. Her heart was broken in pieces and her body seemed to agree with it by not functioning properly. She slept little and had erratic eating patterns, with periods of binging followed by periods of food abstinence.

However, there was something else that was plaguing her lately and robbing her of what precious little sleep she had. A few weeks ago, she started having a repetitive dream while she was sleeping.

_Once Izayoi drifted off to sleep, she found herself in her current settlement - except that it was empty. The fire still burned within its socket, but there were no one else around. Every time, she would find herself drawn towards a particular hallway for unknown reasons. Her intuitions were telling her to head that way because something important was there._

_Halfway through the hall, she would hear a baby's wail, crying for its mother. It was so real that it was painful to think of what had caused the young thing such despair. Whenever she heard it, she became panicked and walked faster, almost running towards the voice. She didn't know why, but she needed to get there, to soothe the child. But she could never reach the destined room. The hallway would stretch onwards into darkness, mocking her futile attempt._

Izayoi was always drenched in sweat when she awoke from her sleep. It didn't take long for her to realize that it had something to do with her aberrant menstrual cycle. It had been five weeks, and her cycle had yet to come. She tried to convince herself that it was normal to miss out on one month. That happened to her personal assistant before, and it was no big deal.

But then, the dream changed.

_This time, Izayoi actually reached the end of the hallway. She was faced with a shoji, and through it, she can hear the loud and heart-wrenching cry. She carefully slid the door aside and gasped in horror._

_The room was alighted with fire, its hot tongues licking greedily at whatever material it came in contact with. The heat in the room was stifling. _

_What drew Izayoi's attention was the crying bundle in the middle of the room. There were blood splattered across the bundle, but it didn't seem to belong to the baby, otherwise it would not have been alive by now. _

'_Please let him be okay,' she thought desperately to herself as she tried to make her way towards the baby. She ignored the fact that she automatically knew the baby's gender without seeing him. _

_When she reached the baby, she took him up into her arms. She lifted the cloth aside to check if he was okay and was rewarded by a shocking sight. Even with the reddish illumination from the fires all around, the baby's silver hair shone brightly. He had stopped crying the moment Izayoi picked him up. And then, he opened his eyes to reveal the most compelling amber orbs to stare back at Izayoi. He giggled when he saw the woman and reached out his tiny hands, trying to grasp her shirt. _

_Izayoi was completely dumbfounded. The baby reminded her so much of another man that she knew. At that instance, she knew that she would do anything to save the baby, even if it meant sacrificing her life. She turned to look at the fires that have already closed off her escape path. _

"_Dear little one," She cooed towards the little being, "I'll use my body to protect you from those flames. You must live on." _

_She covered the baby once again and tucked it safely to her chest, even going as far as to wrap a few of her kimonos on the baby. With one final glance at the baby, she rushed towards the flames, feeling the element burning her skin. _

'_For him, for the little life that is in my arms.' _

That was the last thought before Izayoi awoke in her bed, her heart beating at an impossibly fast rate. She suddenly felt very nauseous and stumbled towards the bedroom door. Before she could call out to her attendant, she emptied the contents of her stomach.

That was when it all became very clear for her.

'Oh god, I can't believe this is happening.' Izayoi knew not whether to feel disbelieve, joy, anxiety or sorrow at her new revelation. But one thing was beyond a shadow of doubt in her mind.

She was pregnant.

* * *

**A/N: The end is near! Consider this chapter a Thanksgiving gift and have a great Thanksgiving guys! ;0 **

**You guys might notice some really weird choice of words here...This is the result of me studying GRE vocab and trying to use as much words as I can. Forgive me, I just have to apply my learning to things I do! **

**Once again, thanks for all the faves and to those who have followed the story so far! You guys rock!**


	15. Of Dreams and Fears

Chapter 15: Of Dreams and Fears

Hysteria: a burst of untamed emotions so intense that it bordered psychological breakdown.

That was the closest word that Izayoi could use to describe her current state of mind. The knowledge of the little life residing within her womb released the emotional floodgate that was pent up inside of her for months. Her feelings fluctuated between extremes of happiness, confusion, loneliness and even betrayal. It was such a terrifying knowledge, with so many ramifications in the foreseeable future.

While feeling overwhelmed, her hand accidentally brushed against hard wood. She looked down to see Tessaiga in her grasp. The sword radiated an aura of tranquility, as if urging her to calm down.

_That's right, _Izayoi thought to herself. First and foremost, she needed to calm herself down and think this straight through. There was no point in panicking because it only brought her nowhere. Slowly, the panic before subsided. Taking a few deep breaths to clear her mind, Izayoi set down to cogitate on the situation at hand.

Firstly, by some unknown power given to her, she knew the gender of the baby. It was a he, a young, beautiful male. She knew what her baby would look like and her heart ached at the close resemblance between the baby and his father. She also knew that the baby was a hanyou, a race known as the pariah of society. But she didn't care at all. If anything, she thought of her child as a blessing. He would carry the genes and benefits that come with being a part of two races. She summoned the baby's image back into her mind - surprisingly abundant platinum locks that reached down and curled at the chin along with thick, dark eyebrows adorning twin orbs of amber. Even though he was only a child, there was a hidden strength lying deep inside those eyes, eyes that dared the world to judge him. He would grow up to be a strong warrior, just like his father. And of course, the thing that she was proudest of was the little pair of ears swiveling atop his head. The only thing that the baby inherited from her were his big, round eyes, which was to be expected. Demon bloods were by far stronger and would triumph human blood when mixed. It was only normal for a child to inherit more traits from the demon parent. Regardless, Izayoi knew that she was already attached to the child and would give him all her love and care.

Secondly, there was the issue of her family. Fortunately, her child was a boy, which meant that there was a higher chance her father would accept her son. After all, she knew that her father needed a male heir to take over his position. Hence her source of anxiety stemmed not from her father, but from one particular bodyguard around her father.

Takemaru had more than once expressed his strong hatred for anything with demon blood running in their veins. Without a shadow of doubt, the man will protest against her carrying a demon's child. What was worse was that her father placed all his trust on the man. If Takemaru so much as uttered a 'no', her father would follow suit. It will be just a matter of time before someone noticed the bulge in her stomach and Takemaru became aware of the news. After that, all hell would break lose. Izayoi didn't know what Takemaru would do to her if he found out about her son, but if Takemaru wanted to harm him, she vowed that he would have to hurt her first.

The next question then, was: what was she going to do about the father? The question itself was almost as terrifying, if not more, than the prospect of Takemaru discovering her child. She realized belatedly that the child was illegitimate and born out of wedlock. Would she try to contact the father? To let him know that she had nurtured something out of their forbidden love?

_No, I could not tell him about the child. It would only tear his family further apart. I shall care for the child on my own,_ Izayoi deliberated to herself. Being raised by a single parent, she knew the hardships that her fatherless child would face. But she promised herself already that she would protect him with her life, to be at his side through thick and thin. She would make sure that he did not feel like an unwanted child.

With her thoughts sorted out more clearly, Izayoi felt herself finally at peace. At least she knew that she would not go down without a fight. They would have to kill her first before doing anything to her precious cargo.

* * *

The night was surprisingly warm for a spring, but most of the occupants inside the palace took no notice of it as they were sheltered by the trees surrounding the structure. Only one demon was having a particularly hard time going into dreamland. And it was not the heat that was keeping him awake.

Touga tossed and turned about on his bed, gripping the bed sheets tightly in irritation. He willed himself to go to sleep, but to no avail. Whenever he closed his eyes, he was assaulted by the clear images of Izayoi. Sometimes she was in the garden, tending to the flowerbeds. Other times she was sipping tea that she made, the sweet aroma filling the whole room. Every time she became more beautiful in his mind's eye.

Instead of fading away like Touga thought that it would, the memories only came back stronger than ever. There were moments when he thought of sneaking out to visit Izayoi, but that would not only hurt his family, it would also put his people in danger should anyone found out that he violated the treaty. He tried to convince himself that he would be at peace once he knew that Izayoi was fine. But that was just fooling himself. He knew that Izayoi was not fine, if the emotions behind her eyes were any indication when they parted. And he knew that he would not just sit back if something was wrong with her.

Before he knew what was happening, he found himself standing outside his room. When and how he worked himself there was beyond him. All he knew was that he was ready to transform and find Izayoi. But then all his rationality returned and he stopped himself just in time. It was funny how a mere human could reduce the great Lord of the Western Land into an emotional wreck.

_Damn it all._ Touga cursed to himself for the umpteenth time that night. Instead of returning to his bedroom, he decided to take a stroll through his palace's garden. Even if he went back to his bed, sleep would still evade him.

For the first time, Touga realized how vast and empty his palace grounds were. His lone figure making its way through the many paths amplified the feeling of emptiness. Why he needed such a big palace was beyond him. Perhaps he should talk to his councilmen about it...

* * *

"Lady Izayoi, your tea." The stoic maid laid down the cup of tea.

"Thank you," Izayoi said as she took a careful sip, trying to sound as casual as possible. Two weeks have passed since her discovery, and she still jumped whenever talking with another person. She admitted that she was a little bit paranoid. Her motherly instincts reacted against everyone around her, imagining dangers lurking in every corner. She had taken pains to hide her morning sickness from the servants and tried to eat normally, but it was getting harder and harder as the bulge in her stomach grew. Luckily for her, her clothing was still loose enough to hide any telltale signs.

Rather than leaving like she used to, the maid shuffled around uncomfortably. She was a petite girl who seemed to have taken a huge dislike towards Izayoi, namely because her parents were killed by demons in a mindless slaughter and she could not imagine anyone associating with demons. She was a perfect candidate for ensuring that Izayoi do not escape.

"Is something the matter?" Izayoi tried to adopt the most soothing voice in order to allay the girl's discomfit.

"The lord wishes to talk to you in the afternoon. I was ordered to assist you in preparation for the lord's arrival." The girl flinched ever so slightly at having to assist someone whom she disliked.

Izayoi tried not to appear overly surprised by the news. Her father who had estranged her ever since the incidence decided to speak to her again? And out of the blue too without any prior warnings? She could not help but feel that something was up.

"Thank you for informing me. Shall we ready ourselves then?"

By the time afternoon rolled around, Izayoi had already fully made herself presentable. Her servant checked one last time to make sure that all twelve layers that composed the _junihitoe_ were in the correct order, and the train was not in the wearer's path. In this attire, Izayoi exemplified the aura of regality that was bequeathed upon her family, though unbeknownst to anyone, Izayoi found the attire stifling. It was a warm spring day, and wearing twelve layers was simply intolerable!

Just as she was dwelling further upon the inconveniences of a court lady's clothing, a messenger came in, announcing her father's arrival. Immediately, Izayoi situated herself in the proper position and ran her fingers across the strings of the _koto_ in front of her, eliciting a delightful five-note chromatic scale. She closed her eyes as she tried to recall the song she was taught by her instructor. With all the recent events, it seemed like such a long time ago since she had taken a music lesson.

She could hear her father entering the room over the hum of the music strings. He sat to her far right as servants attended to his needs. For the moment, he seemed to be content just listening to her play out the full piece. As she continued plucking the strings, she sensed another far more intimidating presence in the room that sent shivers down her spine.

Takemaru had joined her father in the room as he occupied the seat on her father's right. She felt his eyes boring into her very being, as if trying to unveil all her secrets. She knew she had no reason to dislike the man. For all his hostility, he was loyal to her father and only acted under the best interests of the lord. Yet Izayoi could not help but feel an intense dislike towards him. He was the one that separated her from her lover and he would be her greatest threat should anyone learn about her baby.

When Izayoi finally finished the piece, she looked up to see her father staring at her contemplatively.

"I see that you are still good with the _koto_." Her father seemed pleased that she did not forget any of her prior education. "Just like your mother."

"Thank you, father," Izayoi returned, though on the inside she felt a slight twinge of sadness. Of course her father would compare her to the woman he loved. It was well known that her appearance followed after her mother, which partly explained why her father was so protective of her. He didn't want to lose someone who reminded him so much of his late spouse.

"Come hither," Her father indicated for her to approach him. "Ah, I can see that you have grown a lot in the past few years. I regret not having spent more time with you. I must be a terrible father."

"Not at all. You have been busy with the court," Izayoi answered, and it was the truth. Her father had been busy for the sake of his people, and it was selfish of her if she demanded more from her father. However, her senses were on high alert. She knew that her father had something else to say, and she hoped that it was not bad news.

"After giving some considerations, I have come to acknowledge your need to be independent from me. But like I said before, I had promised your mother that I will secure you a happy and well-provided-for future."

Izayoi tried not to fidget with nervousness. She really didn't like the direction that her father was going in.

"As such, I have decided to gift you an independent settlement at the northern side of the country. I will provide you with the full sets of servants, soldiers and resources required. You are free to roam about the land there provided that you have an escort with you. Because of this, I give permission for Takemaru to be your new escort. He is a man of loyalty and charisma."

Two pairs of startled eyes looked up at the lord, one in worry and the other in confusion.

"My lord, who will protect you then?" Takemaru inquired.

The lord merely waved his hand lazily. "I can always hire other men to look after me. But Takemaru, you are special and have proven your worth. For that, I bestow upon you this special assignment."

"I am honored, my lord," Takemaru bowed, hiding his smirk.

Izayoi tried to maintain her demeanor. Although the independence from her father sounded like an appealing idea, just the thought of Takemaru accompanying her drove all the attractions away. It must be some sort of cruel joke to pair her up with the man that hated demons the most. So deep was she in her own thoughts that she almost missed her father speaking to her.

"Izayoi, you will depart three days from now. I already have the entourage prepared."

"Thank you very much, father, I am deeply grateful." Izayoi bowed one more time.

"Very well, all the arrangements are made then. Musicians, play the music! Izayoi, come join me for a lunch."

* * *

"My lord, what ails you these days?"

Touga turned his head and focused his eyes on his small retainer. "The usual – wars, treaties…it all seems endless."

"But you are more stressed than normal," another voice chimed in. "Being so close to you all the time, I can sense the change in your aura."

"…There are things that is best kept secret," Touga said, hoping that the answer would appease his questioners. But apparently, it didn't deter them at all.

"We may be old, but we are by no means fools yet. We have been by your father's side since his rule and have watched you grew up into the fine young man you are today. There is no point in hiding things from us, or else why would you summon us for a 'tea' of all times? Do you not trust us with your troubles?" A third voice joined in.

Touga regarded the three demons before him – Myouga, Saya and Toutousai. They were the closest friends to him along with Ito, who had died in his skirmish. Could he trust them with his secret? Just looking at the old demons, he knew that if he should entrust his secrets with anyone, it would be them. "If I were to divulge my troubles to you, do you promise to keep quiet about it?"

"Of course." "Gladly." "You can trust us." Three voices simultaneously answered him. Their owners held determination in their eyes.

"Very well…let us start from the beginning," Touga relayed his story to his three loyal friends. He told of the moments that he met with Izayoi, how he had saved her, how they had grew closer and how they had shared the most intimate moments only shared by a husband and wife.

Time flew by as the demon lord recounted his tale to the three subordinate demons. When he was finally done, there was silence in the room.

Toutousai was the first one to break the silence. "While I knew that you had something on your mind, I have never thought that it would be falling for a human noble. However, I must say that I am not surprised." Touga looked up at him in shock. "Even when you were young, you had always had a certain quality, and that is your ability to see beyond the shallow boundaries that separate races."

"Aye," Saya picked up the conversation. "We noticed how much you are able to empathize with the humans. Your ability to reach out to them has made you a great leader for this land. Now that I have heard your story, it would explain why Tessaiga is no longer at your side. You made a wise choice in giving it to the human woman as I sense that troubles will be seeking her out in the future."

"But what about the woman? What shall my Lord do about her now?" Myouga asked, ever the more worrisome one of the trio.

"I know not," Touga answered truthfully. "I had not slept many nights just thinking about her. She haunts my waking thoughts and very being. For now, I am just glad that you have taken the news so well. I appreciate your understanding." He smiled at his old friends. "Now that this is off my chest, I wish to ask a big favor of all of you."

"Ask and we shall deliver, my lord," Toutousai answered for all three of them.

"My instincts are warning me of dark times in the future, and from past experiences, I knew not to ignore these feelings. Therefore I would like to make preparations for it. I would like to make a will."

* * *

That was how Myouga found himself hopping across the terrain, heading towards a certain human settlement. His heart was pounding in his chest as he traveled, for fear of anyone finding him crossing the border. _I am too old for this,_ he thought to himself. _I could just run away, and I'm sure my lord would not blame me._ As appealing as the thought was though, Myouga just couldn't do it. If what his lord said was true, then this was his last mission he ever did for his lord.

_"…I would like to make a will."_

_ "What?" The three demons spoke in unison, shock evident on their face. _

_ "I know this is sudden," Touga scratched his head, "but I have a very bad feeling in my stomach. Something will happen in the near future that will bring very drastic changes to this land, and I would like to make arrangements before that. Just two days ago I spied seven crows roosting on the palace gate. While I do not believe in the occult as much as humans do, I do think that these seven crows symbolize something important." _

_ "The harbingers of death," Saya said. "Humans believe that if the black crows land on the main gate of a household, there is bound to be death in the future of the household." _

_ "Indeed," Touga nodded. "As such, I would like you to do something for me. I fear that my life would be endangered very soon, if my instincts and the crows were anything to go by. But before I go, I wanted to make sure that things are in their right place." He slid Tenseiga from his hip and placed it in his lap. "If anything happens, I want to bestow this sword to Sesshoumaru." _

_ "Tenseiga? The sword of healing? Sesshoumaru would not be amused." Myouga quivered at the thought of his lord's son's face when he learned of the news. "Why not Sounga?" _

_ "In the wrong hands, Sounga is destructive. So far Sesshoumaru has yet to prove to me that he can use the sword. If he proves himself worthy, then he shall inherit the sword. But if he doesn't, I would like you, Saya, to seal it away in a place unreachable by others. I know that despite this old age, you still have enough powers to seal the sword away."_

_ "Even though I am not sure about all this, but since you are the one that asked the favor, I will fulfill it to the best of my abilities. I trust your decision," Saya said. _

_ "And you, Myouga, you have the biggest task. I would like you to watch over Izayoi and make sure that she is living well." Touga placed his hands on the floor and bowed low towards Myouga, causing the old retainer to panic slightly._

_ "Bu—But my lord, I am just a small flea demon! My powers are limited!" Myouga stuttered. "Plea-Please do not bow so low before someone like me!" _

_ Touga's head remained firm on the ground. "Myouga, you are the only one whom I know that I can entrust the information to and who is small enough to cross the border undetected. I respect your decision to not perform this favor, but please consider it. This will be the last thing I ask of you." _

_ Seeing his lord in this position, Myouga could not help but agree to the favor. If that is what his lord desired of him, then he would do it. _

Myouga hopped as hard as he could before landing on a bird and using it as a mode of transportation. He was truly worried about his lord's words. Why did it sound like his lord was dying for certain?

* * *

The dreams still came frequently each night. The eerily quiet hallway, the burning room, the crying baby...Every time Izayoi would repeat the same actions. She would run into the room to save the infant, only to wake up the moment she got out of the room.

One can only imagine Izayoi's surprise and dread when she saw her new residence. The halls were identical to the ones in her dream, even the rooms were formatted the same. On her first day there, she explored the new area to ascertain the resemblance of the structure to the ones in her dreams.

When night time rolled around, Izayoi had a hard time sleeping. She wanted to know the connection between her dreams and the building. Finally, she succumbed to sleep due to exhaustion.

_There she was again, in the same hallway that led to the burning room. Except this time the dream was more realistic than ever. She could actually see the orange glow cast by the flames reflected on the opposite wall. As she approached, she started feeling the burning heat of the element. Her eyes watered at the sheer amount of smoke and heat coming out from the room. In the distant, she thought she could hear fighting, but all she cared was the child inside the room. Her child. _

_Like the last few times, she entered the room and automatically went to the bed in the middle of the room. She gathered the child in her arms, but before she could do anything, she felt an acute pain close to her chest, almost piercing through her heart. And then she was on the ground, staring in stunned silence at the spear head embedded in her chest. It missed her heart, but that didn't staunch the pool of blood forming beneath her body. _

_What happened? Why did the dream change this time around? Izayoi desperately tried to move herself, but only resulted in more blood escaping from the wound. Even then, all she could think of was the child in her arms. She clung to him tightly like a lifeline and cooed into his ears as her life slipped away. _

_Then there was blackness. Pure, silent blackness. _

_Izayoi tried to reach out, but her body remained immobilized. The only thing that she could feel was a bone-chilling cold. Her horror intensified when she realized that her child was no longer in her arms. All that was left with her now was blackness and her own consciousness. _

_Before Izayoi could feel the full onslaught of hysteria, she felt a strange pull. It was like someone trying to call her back. But to where? Where did she come from? Why did she have to go back? The pull became stronger and stronger, to the point that it was painful. Izayoi finally allowed herself to be pulled by the strange force. _

_With that, she was back inside the room, except that the pain in her chest was gone. She looked down to see that the spear removed, although the bloods were still there. To her relief, the baby was still there as well. _

_She became aware that there was another person standing close to her. Large hands encompassed her tiny frame as she was lifted into a sitting position. When the hands left her, she felt an odd sort of emptiness. Those hands were so safe and gentle. She felt the pair of hands draping a rough material over her body. She looked up to see whom those hands belong to and felt her breath hitched. _

_The man that she thought she would never see again was kneeling in front of her. Even in this dire situation, he was still handsome. Somehow the orange glow around them only served to enhance his attractiveness. _

_But all too soon, the magic was lost when another presence entered the room. Her lover's eyes changed immediately. His eyes became cold and hard, and she could feel his body stiffened. He rose and turned his back towards her, shielding her from the other person inside the room. _

_ "Demon." _

_ Izayoi's heart froze. She would recognize that hate-filled voice anywhere! Why was he here? All of a sudden the world seemed so distant. Everything became muted. She could see her dear general's mouth move. He was talking to her, but she couldn't make out what he said. All she knew was that her body began moving on its own accord. She felt herself stand up, looked back at her lover for one last time before bolting out of the room. _

_ 'No, no, no! Please let me stay with him!' Izayoi thought frantically to herself as her body continued to run pass the burning flames, through the gardens, amidst the chaos of collapsing wall and into the snowing world outside. She was filled with a sense of foreboding. Somehow she knew that he would not make it, that he would perish inside that accursed place. _

Izayoi sat up gasping for air. The dream was so real this time. It almost felt as if she was experiencing the whole thing there herself. She looked around to make sure that she was still inside her room and that nothing was out of order. Something felt really cold on her face and she raised her fingers to touch it. She realized then that she had been crying because she was afraid for the demon lord.

Somehow she felt that the dream was a premonition of what was to come, a reality in the dark future.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Junihitoe: **12-layered dress worn by ladies at court

**Koto**: Stringed instrument. I am not sure how many notes there are on a koto, but if it is similar to the Chinese gu zheng and follows the Chinese musical scale, there are only 5 notes instead of the 7-note in Western scales.

I love snowy owls: I am actually not too sure what will happen next either, since I am writing based off inspiration that I would randomly pop out :)

Kate: Will do!

PrincessofDarkness3: Wow, thanks. I've never thought people would think that it is close to the InuYasha universe. Glad that you like it!

So, here's finally another chapter before Christmas. A huge thanks to those who have read and review/fave the story, it means a lot to me! And Merry Christmas!


	16. Of Options and Enlightenment

Chapter 16: Of Options and Enlightenment

"This old body certainly cannot afford to be abused like this any longer," Myouga huffed to himself as he watched from his perch. The season had just shifted to summer and already the heat was adding towards the stress of travel. It beat down on him mercilessly and he had trouble staying hydrated with his small body. Oh, how he longed for the cool rain to descend from the heavens!

It had taken him days to locate the human lord's palace, only to learn with dismay that the princess had been moved again to some other location. Again, it had taken him awhile before he relocated the elusive princess. Currently, he was perched on top of the back of a crow, surveying the area below.

"There it be," Myouga smiled happily when he noticed the human settlement beneath. It was a relatively small resident compared to his lord's vast palace, but it was enough for a single mistress. He maneuvered the crow to land in one of the gardens and hopped off in search of the princess.

* * *

Takemaru was hardly pleased by the new turn of events. Contrary to his believes, things were not working in his favor. In his fantasies, he had dreamt a secluded Eden with luscious vegetation and days of blissful peace. He would be alone with Izayoi, and perhaps, by a moment of effrontery, he would admit his love for her. His imagination carefully drew out Izayoi's expression when he first declared his feelings. She would be surprise initially, no doubt, but then she would acknowledge his declarations. Together, they defied the old traditions of society with its stringent caste system and fall in love with one another. It was a rather ridiculous dream, but he saw the possibility of it when he was told that his new assignment was to be the princess's escort.

What he did not expect was the sweltering heat that threatened to wilt anything in its path, or the pestering swarm of insects that emerged at the first touch of summer. Adding fuel to fire, ever since they moved, Izayoi had made herself scarce. She seldom left her room these days, and during the few moments that she ventured outside, she did not go very far. Every time he tried to approach her, she would find some sort of excuse to retreat to her room as if he was some sort of plague. Was the princess trying to avoid him? Perhaps she was still angry at him for manhandling her on the way down the mountain? Or perhaps it was just the oppressive heat that kept her inside. When he inquired about her presence, the servant only gave a noncommittal response. He cursed the girl for being so dimwitted and uncaring.

And so the days passed by with a certain languidness as the lone bodyguard waited ever faithfully for a glimpse of his lady. From the moment the sun made its appearance on the horizon, Takemaru would take position outside the room, wanting to enter but not daring out of proper etiquette. Once in a while he hailed Izayoi's name, hoping that she would answer him. She either never heard him or chose to ignore his presence because there never was a response. For some time, he worried that the lady had fallen ill from the harsh temperature, but the servant girl assured him – in an irritated manner – time and again that the lady was 'perfectly fine'. In the end, he deduced that if the lady was not sick, then she was still angry with him. It was surprising that the gentle Izayoi could hold onto a grudge for so long, and Takemaru wondered if he had made a grave mistake in separating her from the demon general.

_Dispel those foolish thoughts! _Takemaru thought to himself. _If you had not rescued lady Izayoi, who knows what the demon might have done to her already. She might be dead, or even worse, robbed of her virginity and impregnated. _Each scenario he conjured was more somber than the last; convincing him that he had performed the right action. Lady Izayoi will see the rationale behind his actions and be indebted to him later on.

That is, if only he knew how close he was to the truth of the situation...

Izayoi was preparing tea by herself after dismissing her attendant. She felt like a ball of nervous energy and concluded that being cooped up inside a limited space and steaming in the heat can have a very deteriorating effect on the psyche. The only way for her to vent off some of the energy was by making the tea herself.

She heard Takemaru call her name again, followed by an almost inaudible sigh when she did not answer him. She felt slightly bad for not replying, but it was best that they avoided contact. She knew that he wanted to talk to her face-to-face about what transpired at the mountains, but it was too risky. If he saw her now, he would find out about her secret.

She patted the growing bulge that was her stomach fondly. The pregnancy was starting to show and the only reason that her attendant had not found out yet was because she chose to sit whenever the girl was around, thus bunching up her clothing and obscuring the lump. Thankfully the girl was bent on avoiding her and did not ask about her strange behaviors. She'd probably thought that it was some sort of noble woman practice to sit around all day.

Over the course of time that Izayoi spent in her room, she had tried to come up with different names for her baby. The evidence was strewn across the floor - rice-papers covered with her characteristic thin brush strokes listing the different names. She had yet to come up with one that was suitable though. Names such as Hideyoshi, Daisuke or Akira that were supposed to symbolize great things for its bearer were not adequate enough for her son. They cannot capture the hidden courage that made up her son's being. She strived for something that was far greater and more unique.

As Izayoi reveled in all the possibilities of names that she could gift to her son, she heard someone panting close to her ear. Immediately, she whirled around, only to see empty space behind her.

The voice disappeared for a while before returning, it's wheezing even stronger than before. Once again, Izayoi turned around to see no one else in the room.

"Please...stop this...motion...I feel sick," the voice spoke for the first time.

Izayoi held still. The person sounded like an old man, and not the least bit threatening at all. "Who are you? And where are you?" She whispered, not wanting to draw attention to herself less it drew Takemaru into the room.

"Just wait...a second..." The voice gradually slowed his breathing. A hardly visible dark speck jumped from the collar of Izayoi's shirt unto the floor in front of her. "I am here."

Izayoi barely caught the movement of the small flea demon. She had to kneel down carefully to floor level to see the tiny creature. "I apologize for not seeing-"

"Myouga, just call me Myouga, my lady." The tiny demon did a bow, though it was not noticeable at all.

"I apologize for not seeing you earlier, Myouga. What business do you have here? I thought demons were not allowed to pass this area. Are you lost?" Izayoi extended her hand for Myouga to hop on so that she could see him at eye level. The demon was a rather queer being - stodgy with two pair of arms and a sucker in place of a mouth. She was not quite sure how he managed to talk without a mouth.

"I come on behalf of my lord to watch over you, milady."

Izayoi felt her stomach dropped. There was only one demon lord that she knew of that would want to send someone to look after her. Just when she resolved herself to face the consequences of their tryst without him, he entered her life again by sending a guardian.

"...I am glad that you are fine - though you smelled a little weird - but at least my lord could rest his heart now," Myouga chattered on, unaware that the woman was no longer listening to him and the bulge in her stomach.

"Why...why did Sir Touga care?" Izayoi whispered. She was touched that he loved her still, but it was a forbidden love. He was only hurting everyone by trying to resume what was not meant to be.

Myouga blinked foolishly at her as if the answer was evident. When she didn't reply, he sighed, "Because my lord is a very responsible and caring demon. He promised to take care of you while you were under his care, and he will fulfill his promise till the very end." He beamed proudly at the mention of Touga and said lord's generous personality.

"Lady Izayoi, I have come with your meal," a muffled voice was heard on the other side of the shoji, interrupting the two occupants.

"Please wait a minute," Izayoi called over her shoulder and indicated with hand motions for Myouga to find somewhere to hide, which was not a hard feat at all considering the demon's size and aptitude at hiding in safe places. She sat herself down and arranged her clothes again to ensure that nothing obvious was showing.

* * *

Unlike the Western Land, the Northern Land was an area of destitution, mainly a result of long periods of winter with hardly any rainfall. Vast, barren lands rolled across the plains, its soil lay fallow from its inability to be sowed. The dynamic of life here was very different - with little vegetation, its inhabitants relied on the way of cannibalism. It was a harsh place where the strongest and fittest ruled, whereas the weaker ones served as food sources.

The two main ruling factions here were the panther tribe and Ryuukotsusei. Ryuukotsusei was a special being in this land, notorious for his cruelty. Although he had followers, he liked acting solo. His followers were just weaker demons that flocked to him in hopes of being protected - which he tolerated, until his bloodlust or ennui took over. During those times, the demons became preys to satiate his hunger and boredom.

Nonetheless, Ryuukotsusei had become very bored as of late. Hunting lower-level demons were not much to appease his killing urge. They were too easy. So he began collecting rumors of stronger demons. A rumor that caught his attention was that of the lord of the Western Land. Rumor had it that these dog demons were extremely powerful and invincible, defeating and protecting their territories for centuries. The current leader was said to wield three swords that can conquer the heavens, earth and underworld, a force not to be reckon with.

The more Ryuukotsusei heard about the demon lord, the more excited he became. Finally, someone who could be on par with him! But he wanted to observe more of the demon lord's movements first before making a strike himself - and what better chance was there than to see how he coped with the attack from mainland?

Apparently, the demon lord had vast information networks too. He was also aware of Ryuukotsusei's movements and sent a scout to spy on the dragon, which Ryuukotsusei happily disposed of. That demon he sent was already bent with age and old injuries, which hardly served as an appetizer for Ryuukotsusei's daily huntings.

_It's almost time_, Ryuukotsusei mused to himself as he watched the mainland army retreat. It would have been advantageous to him if he had attacked when the dog demon army was occupied with the Chinese demons, but that would present no challenge at all. So he waited patiently for his turn to come and for the army to recover back to their previous strength. It was a long wait, and several times he almost had the urge to attack, but he held back patiently. The waiting only fueled his insane desire for blood further.

* * *

"Here's a cup of wine," Izayoi said as she poured the liquid into the small wine cup. She had spent the next few days talking with Myouga about different things and was delighted to find the flea demon a knowledgeable old man despite his small size. Myouga was a good raconteur, telling stories and legends from far off lands that she did not have the good fortune of visiting. He was indeed good company for a lonesome heart.

"Thank you my lady," Myouga sighed in bliss as he sipped at the wine. Perhaps looking after the lady was not such a bad task after all. All he needed to do was recount stories in return for good food and security. Of course, there was the occasional awkward moment when the lady would ask him to turn away when she did her womanly stuff, but it was hardly a bother at all.

However, something still pulled at the corners of his mind and his usual warning bells were ringing incessantly. There was something very off with the whole situation. The lady's conducts were particularly mysterious at certain points. For example, she insisted - no demanded - that he was outside when she changed. At first he dismissed it as being a human privacy issue, but the insistence in her tone was unnerving. He even scented fear from time to time.

That brought him to issue number two: why did the lady carry the scent of Lord Touga for so long? Even though she wore heavy perfume, it did not fully hide the dog general's scent. Even if they were intimate, the scent of sex should disappear after a few days of good washing. He also noticed that the lady tend to sit a lot. The last time he checked, human court women did not sit as much as Lady Izayoi did. The more he thought about it, the more he came to the frightening conclusion that the lady was pregnant. What else could explain her behaviors? The thought was so frightening that Myouga tried to push the issue aside in favor of others.

For example, there was that bodyguard called Takemaru that he didn't like very much. Why was that human calling the lady's name so often? He knew from scent alone that the man did not regard Izayoi as a mere lady, but something more important. He also didn't like how the man was becoming more and more impatient. He worried that the already thin barrier of etiquette - which was the only factor that prevented Takemaru from barging into the lady's room - was wearing thinner still.

Another problem that presented itself today was the fact that Lady Izayoi seemed sick. Myouga knew firsthand because he could smell the sickness in her scent, and from time to time, he thought he saw the lady pass a hand over her forehead, as if testing her body's temperature. Her eyes also didn't seem as alive as the past few days; it was slightly glazed over. He wondered if he should ask her about it.

Izayoi was indeed not feeling too well at the moment. She was covered in cold sweat and had a headache the moment she awoke, the latter of which seemed to exacerbate as time went on. Now it felt like something was constantly pounding inside her head, threatening to rip it apart. Nonetheless, she put on a cheerful front and entertained Myouga. If he had come all the way to look after her, the most she could do was to entertain him. Not that she didn't enjoyed talking to him either, just that she didn't had much in her today to focus on the little demon before her. Once again, she passed her hand in what she thought was a surreptitious manner across her forehead, feeling the temperature. The skin was a little bit warm, and she thought it felt warmer every time she touched it.

"Are you okay, my Lady?"

Izayoi realized belatedly that she had not been listening. "I...I am fine. I am just slightly tired. Please, Myouga, would it be okay if you leave for an hour so I could take a little rest?"

"Of course, do whatever you please." Myouga said and hopped towards the window. "Please don't hesitate to tell me if you are not feeling well." He then disappeared from the window.

Izayoi slowly raised herself from her sitting position, mindful of her stomach and the being inside it. She made slow steps towards the bed, fighting off the abrupt wave of dizziness. Suddenly, the world around her tilted in a very strange manner and she saw a flash of white, before the world itself became dark.

Myouga was barely a few feet away from the window when he heard a heavy thud coming from Izayoi's room, like something big had fallen down. He immediately rushed back inside of the room, only to find the princess lying on the floor, unmoving. Her layers of kimono was scattered about her haphazardly like a thick blanket.

"Lady Izayoi!" Myouga shouted as he hopped over to the unconscious woman. He started checking her as best as he could, jumping around her body to ensure that no serious damage was done. Nothing seemed out of place, other than her heavy breathing and high fever.

_I must find out if it is some sort of poison or sickness,_ Myouga thought grimly to himself, and the only way he knew how to do it, was through drinking some of her blood. _Forgive my impudence, my lady, but if anything had happened to you, I would have failed my lord._ He took a deep breath and plunged his sucker into the woman's neck. Blood filled his mouth in no time, the sweet taste of it reminded him how long it was that he had not drank from other living things. _Let's see...fever...weakened immunity...wait!_ Myouga's eye bulged widely. _Pregnant...she is pregnant, and with my lord's child no doubt!_

How could he have missed the telltale signs of the human woman being pregnant? From the taste of the blood, she had already carried the child for quite some time. His suspicions were confirmed. This would explain all the odd behaviors that the lady exhibited for the past few days, along with how he did not detect her pregnancy earlier on. She was good at hiding her secret. But now, he needed to let his lord know about the situation. Surely the dog demon lord would want to know if a human was carrying his child, which in and of itself, was an unlikely event. Demons and humans consummating with one another was already rare, much less the chance of them begetting a child.

"I must...what must I do in this situation?" Myouga fretted about. Sorting out his priorities, he realized that he needed to make sure that Lady Izayoi was rested properly and not on the cold floor. It would be bad for her and her child. But he couldn't move her at all with his size. He needed someone to help him and there was no one in this settlement that he could trust the lady with. The servant hated her, the father was far away and Takemaru...he hated demons with a vigor unparalleled to anyone else. Should he know that the lady was pregnant with a demon child, even his affections for the lady would not stop him from killing the child while it was still in the womb.

"Lady Izayoi, I have come with your afternoon tea." The servant was waiting outside the shoji door for the lady to give her permission to come in.

_That's it!_ Myouga hopped quickly out of the window and towards the servant that was still waiting outside with a frown on her face.

"Lady I-"

The servant didn't finish her sentence as Myouga went for her neck and bit her. The fact that Myouga could manipulate people just by biting onto their neck was not something that most people knew about and at this moment, he was glad for that talent.

Carefully, Myouga directed the servant girl to help carry Izayoi to her bed. Satisfied that the lady was placed in a comfortable position, Myouga walked the servant out of the room and through the halls. They entered a small pavilion obscured by bamboos. There, Myouga took a deep breath, sucking in a large amount of the blood from the poor girl's neck. Said girl did not stand a chance as she collapsed to the ground unconscious.

_That should staff off the people for a while until the Lady hopefully awakes. _Myouga hoped that he had ingested such a large amount of blood that the girl would lose her memory of the earlier events due to the disrupted flow of blood to her brains. He offered a quick prayer to whichever supernatural beings up there to ensure that nothing happened to the lady before returning to her.

A few hours later, the sun was just setting over the horizon when Izayoi awoke. She casted a wary glance around the room, and sighed in relief when she realized no one was there. Just as she was about to close her eyes and drift off to dreamland again, she remembered something and sat quickly up. She was, no doubt, still in her own room. But when had she moved onto a bed? The last thing she remembered was feeling the ground giving up beneath her and falling through in a blur of colors.

"My Lady, I am glad that you are awake! You gave me a scare back there!" A tiny voice shouted by her ear side.

"Myouga? What happened during the time that I was unconscious?"

"My Lady, you were going to take a rest when you suddenly collapsed from fever. I had to resort to my own 'device' - which I'll rather not elaborate upon - to carry you to bed. But worry not, the baby and you are fine. All you need is more rest."

Izayoi sighed in relief when she heard that nothing was out of ordinary, but checked herself quickly. "My baby...you knew?"

Myouga fidgeted uncomfortably under her intense and protective stare. "I had to make sure you were fine, my lady! So I took a sample of your blood...But it's just something that I had learned about a few hours ago. Why did you not tell me about this?" Myouga returned slightly accusingly.

"Given my situation, would you tell anyone?" Izayoi's alertness dissipated and she answered softly, though she felt a twinge of guilt for keeping the secret for so long.

Myouga nodded his head in understanding and patted the lady on her knee. If he was the lady, he would not have told anyone about the baby either. But there was still one thing that he needed to confirm. "Do you love the child? Knowing that it is a half-breed?"

At this question, Izayoi's eyes snapped up with a fiery determination. "Of course! I do not care for his heritage or his race, other than that he is a gift from the man I love! Myouga, if you are suggesting otherwise..." The threat was left hanging in the air as she hunched slightly forward, as if to shield the baby from prying eyes.

The little flea demon was shaken to the core by her determination. "Do not misunderstand my intentions, my lady! I am merely affirming your conviction. Now that I know you cared for my lord, I can rest assure that you will do all you can to protect my lord's child. However, milady realizes that all secrets cannot be kept forever?"

The previous confidence left Izayoi as she thought of Myouga's question. It was the source of her predicament for all those passing months. "I do understand, and I wish I knew what to do. But given my situation right now, I might as well be a mouse waiting for the cat to kill me anytime. Do you not see? I cannot leave; there is nowhere to go without my presence being found."

Myouga nodded in sympathy as he mulled over the situation. The odds were really against them this time around. But that didn't mean that they couldn't make the most of their resources. "My Lady, how much does your father love you?"

"He might be a strict man, but I know that he loves me, just as I love him. I cannot hate him for separating me from Sir Touga, because I know that he was looking out for me. But I am afraid that I don't see the connection between him and my pregnancy. Why do you ask?"

"If your father loves you so, do you not think that he would assist you in your situation? After all, the child is also of his blood. He cannot deny his blood...can he?"

Izayoi looked uncertain. "I do not know. I do not want to burden him any longer with my troubles. Besides, he listens to Sir Takemaru too much, and you know how much _that_ man hated demons." Izayoi nodded her head slightly towards the door to indicate who she was referring to.

Myouga sighed. "My Lady, beggars cannot be choosers. I am afraid that we are running out of options. Your wisest move right now is to secure a support from your father. If he is as loving and as understanding as you make him out to be, he will still protect you."

"How about you? Will you no longer protect me?" Izayoi asked fearfully. She really did not want any more people to learn about the child. She imagined how messy the situation can become once people took hold of the news.

"I must report back to my Lord regarding the change in events. Since this child is his, by demons and human laws, the household of the child's father shall be the one that takes responsibility for the child. I understand that this might place immense tension between the human and demon relationship, however, it would reflect poorly upon my Lord if he doesn't take action." He looked up and sputtered when he saw tears accumulating in the lady's eyes.

Izayoi tried to will away the tears, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized the hopelessness of the situation. The chance that humans and demons might go into war again scared her. She did not want any more mindless bloodshed. After all, that was the reason why she left Touga in the first place, was it not?

"Please do not cry, my lady! It would sadden my Lord to see you in grieve!" Myouga hopped onto the lady's lap, carefully avoiding a large teardrop as it fell onto the dress. "Lady Izayoi, my lord loves you greatly. This, I finally understood. For the past few months, I had always wondered why my Lord seemed so agitated. Now I see that it is because he loved you, enough to risk his reign and reputation by sending me across the border. If he knew that you are with child, he would find any means to ensure that you are safe and the child is delivered. So please, understand that I need to go back to the Western Land to report to my Lord. Until then, you must find an ally that would shield you, and the only one that is in your vicinity is none other than your father."

Izayoi considered the demon's words and conceded that there really was no other option. Accepting Myouga's suggestions and realizing that it was worth a try, Izayoi went to her table and began composing a letter.

"What is it that you are writing?" Myouga hopped onto the table curiously.

"A letter to my father requesting an audience with him." Izayoi stated as she signed her name underneath the content. "I will have the servant deliver it to him. Meanwhile, Myouga, I apologize for my outburst earlier. If I may be so bold as to request that you remain by my side until I secure my support?"

Myouga did a swift bow, "Yes, my Lady. You have my word that I shall accompany you till the day of your audience."

* * *

Another morning of merciless heat descended upon the land and stirred excitement and frustration into the hearts of many.

Ryuukotsusei untangled himself from the coils that were his body and reached his head out into the sunlight. He tested the air for any signs of intruders. All he could smell was the bodies of demons that had amassed at his lair.

A few days ago, Ryuukotsusei had sent some messengers out to inhabitants of the Northern land, asking for assistance in the war against the Western Land. Not that he really needed any, but it was just so much more entertaining to raise the casualties of the war. To his surprise, many demons from nearby and some from other remote lands have come to his aid. Some of them held age-long grudge against the dog demon clans, others saw it as opportunities to gain whatever it was that they sought. All in all, it was quite a daunting army that was gathered at his lair. Just the thought of this sent his blood into excitement.

"You who have gathered before me shared the same interest as I do - to see the fall of the dog demons and have their blood soak the very earth they live on. Tonight, we will introduce ourselves, shall we not?" Ryuukotsusei's powerful voice echoed around the valley. He was answered by a thunderous cheer from blood-lusting demons.

In the Western Land, the army was gathering themselves along the frontlines for another attack. They spread themselves in a fan shape across the land, forming a barricade to protect the palace. From a distant, it looked like the whole horizon was lined with soldiers, a formidable sight for any casual observers.

News had quickly come about the gathering of Ryuukotsusei's forces in the North, and the Western Land immediately launched themselves into action. Anyone who was able and knew how to navigate their powers or a weapon was recruited into the force. In the center of it all was Touga, wearing his battle armor. He checked himself one last time to make sure that no loose ties would present an opening to the enemy.

In the safe confines of the palace, Sesshoumaru's mother watched the procession with aloofness. She found herself searching out the form of her husband from the mass of people gathering about. When she finally did find him, she stared long and hard. For the first time in many years, Sesshoumaru's mother found herself scrutinizing the demon before her, something that she had not done a lot in the past.

After the 'conversation' (_more like interrogation_, the demoness snorted in an uncharacteristically rude manner to herself) with her son, she had been thinking very much. In her current standing, she had reached some sort of Enlightenment regarding herself, her husband and their relationship. And she found herself standing now like a statue, watching the silhouette of her husband in the distance and studying him keenly like a child who discovered a new object of interest. She had taken for granted this demon who was her husband for years, the father of her sole child.

She was suddenly assaulted with memories of them when they first sealed their marriage, when they first ran through the forest under the moonlight, when they first welcomed the new addition to their family and many more special moments that they shared. At the very start, she knew that her marriage was one of convenience and power, not of love. When it came to nobles, whether it was demons or humans, very little things were about love. It had angered her at first that she was to wed a demon who was not her mate and she thought that there was no possible way that she could come close to liking her husband. But as the years passed, she learned of his patience and with it, came a change of mind. In place of anger was affection, and in place of disgust for his leniency on humans was respect for the way he stood his ground. She was proud to be the one standing by his side, to be the one that produced his heir.

Yet even so, years of ingrained values that she inherited from her family kept her from fully embracing him as her spouse. She could not accede to his ideals, nor could she mold herself into the perfect, loving wife. There were affections, but love? She had never experienced anything like that. It was a foreign concept to her. Even when Sesshoumaru was born, she realized that what she felt for her child was a lot of affection and pride, but not an ounce of love.

What ensued as a result of her lack of love were small spats and tantrums between the two of them that gradually escalated into their current standoff.

When she first discovered that Touga finally found his mate, she was admittedly bitter. She was surprised that she felt jealousy towards the human woman _and_ her husband. How dare he find love when she didn't? And love had changed him, little by little. It was hard to tell at first, but as Touga met up more with the human woman, she saw the symptoms of change. Love had invigorated him, made him stronger and filled with a deeper sense of purpose and direction. She was jealous of the human woman for inspiring such a change in him, accomplishing a monumental task that _she_, his rightful and official wife, was supposed to do. It undermined her, it _humiliated_ her.

Sure, she had affection towards her husband and considered him her equal, but never once did love made its way into her feelings. She did not argue with Touga because she was jealous of him seeing another woman. Under any circumstances, she would have only been slightly disturbed. She argued with him because she felt that her pride was on the line. And that was all it came down to: her damn pride.

And it was about time she accepted her hubris. In the past, she discounted herself as being above such petty things as pride and arrogance. Now that she finally accepted it, she felt a strange sort of vulnerability and reconciliation with herself, an inner peace within her being. With her new enlightenment, she wanted to amend her mistakes of arguing with her husband, so that things can go back to their proper trajectory. She would still be the wife and she would still act like a royal – for that was part of her, but she could see herself graciously accepting the presence of the human woman. She also came to look at Touga with new eyes, an even deeper admiration than before. Was that what her son saw in his father? That was why she was studying the dog demon general with such interest, trying to uncover her new understanding and perception of him.

As night painted the sky an inky blackness, the first sound of war resounded through the lands. An inhuman roar was heard from Ryuukotsusei, which Touga returned with his own answering roar as he switched into his dog demon form. That was the signal as the army raced towards one another in a deadly clash.

* * *

**A/N: Finally, another chapter. I debated on whether or not to postpone posting this, but decided to cut it at this point, or else it's going to ramble on. I was originally supposed to post this part sooner, until I noticed a huge mistake in the middle of the script, and had to erase everything to re-type it again. So sorry for the delay ):**

** PrincessofDarkness3 and kate: No worries, I will definitely put up more chapters, albeit not very fast, but I'll keep updating!**

** Queen Emily the Diligent: Thank you very much for your compliment! :)**

** ALiC. P: Ah thanks again for the long review. Reading your reviews have always been a pleasure to me~**

**Unfortunately, yes, he's going to die soon ): **

**Hmm and as to the question of whether it will be the last time they meet...Perhaps so? Well, they do get to meet each other just right before their death, that counts...right? *is shot***

**I am estimating about perhaps 4-6 chapters left. I don't want to drag it out too long, but that depends on whether or not I remembered some last minute detail. For example, the last chapter and this one was not planned at all in the plot - that is, until one day, all of a sudden a light bulb in my mind went off: "Oh wait! What about Sesshoumaru inheriting Tenseiga and all that stuff? It has to happen before he dies!" And viola, all of a sudden, Myouga, Saya and Toutousai were pushed into the story ._. I tend to get too much into my own story when writing and forgot about the details that were shown in the movie/anime/manga, and then I remembered them someday randomly, which throws me completely off course again with the story. Hopefully nothing like this happen anymore in the future!**

**Once again, huge thanks to those who reviewed, faved or followed the story! You have no idea how happy that made me. You guys are the best! **


	17. Of War and Protection

Chapter 17: Of War and Protection

**Warning: Some violence in this chapter**

Chaos reigned across the field as both armies' frontlines surged to entangle with one another. The frontlines were immediately crushed, attributing to the rear soldiers pushing forward in their zeal to taste the enemy's blood. Yet the soldiers continue to advance, heedless of their comrades' corpses underneath their feet.

Touga and Ryuukousei met each other in midair in a crash of fangs and claws, spinning in fantastic arcs. The dragon youkai quickly wrapped his body around the dog demon in the hopes of dealing death by suffocation. It was his preferred method of attack as the death was prolonged over an agonizing period of time, letting his victims desiring for a quicker death. Their gasps of mercy and struggle for breath were like music to his ears. He willed his muscles to slowly contract around Touga.

Just as quickly Touga inserted his limbs in between the coils to create a rough barrier against the constrictions and pushed with all his might. Although the push did not free him of the constrictions, it loosened Ryuukousei's tight hold temporarily. This gave him enough leverage to turn his head and bite into one of the coils, drawing an angry cry from the dragon demon. The mask on Ryuukosei's head turned into an ugly sneer.

In response, Ryuukousei sank his fangs into Touga's shoulder, tearing through the flesh and lodging himself firmly unto his opponent. At such a close distance, Ryuukousei could not risk using his energy attack, less he wound himself by accident. The bite would have to do for now.

For the next few moments both demons locked themselves in the position, neither one daring to move out of fear of placing his enemy in an advantageous position.

Touga took the chance to appraise the conditions of his army out of the corners of his eye. So far his army was engaged in a hard struggle, but they didn't seem to be losing. After the initial chaos, his army had regained its order. Officials were quickly commanding the lower ranks back into their place. He didn't need to worry about them yet. Instead, he should focus on changing his current state.

When the gridlock didn't seem to be getting anywhere, Touga decided to take a gamble. He relaxed and released his hold on Ryuukousei, surprising the dragon into loosening his own grip. With that Touga twisted his body and ripped his shoulder from Ryuukousei's fangs, losing a mouthful of fur and flesh in the process. The two demons spun crazily away from one another, propelled by the sudden momentum. Ryuukousei took no time in coiling his body again as soon as he regained his balance.

Touga paused briefly as he watched the dragon stringing itself into another tight coil. _No doubt to prepare for a second shot._ The situation was somehow reminiscent of his previous fight with Menomaru. _And if that is the case, then I will have to resort to the same tactic that I've used before_.

However, Touga could already tell that this was not an easy feat to achieve. The dragon was much stronger, more vicious and definitely more experienced than the young moth demon. He already reckoned that if he survived through this war, it would be at the expense of much blood and flesh.

Initially, the two armies seemed to be on par with one another, but the difference between the two became clear as the battle dragged out. The scattered manner in which Ryuukousei gathered his soldiers proved to be his undoing. His ranks broke down into different groups, making it easy for Touga's more composed army to single out and annihilate. Some of the weaker demons who only joined for their own benefit had already made their escapade. They owed no loyalty to Ryuukousei other than the promise that they will gain perquisite for joining the war.

The state of his army was not lost upon the dragon demon. He knew full well that this was bound to happen, given the method in which he recruited demons. It did not bother him since they were just there for his own disport. His sole goal was the dog demon general and his title as the 'strongest demon of the Western Land'.

"Give up, your army is already scattered," Touga said quietly to Ryuukousei, hoping that reason could discourage him. "There is no point in fighting a losing battle."

"Oh? But they were only chess pieces of no concern to me. Quite dispensable." Ryuukousei smiled maliciously, his mouth stretching back to expose his fangs. "Just like that weakling that you sent - I am sure he is quite dispensable to you too."

Touga narrowed his eyes dangerously as he began to see red. "That demon...?" There could only be one person that the dragon demon was referring to.

Ryuukousei waved one of his arms in a dismissive manner to taunt Touga. "You know, that old crook that was already almost at death's door? Let me see...I believed he was a demon with a high standing of some sort considering his attire...But that doesn't matter. He was such a bore."

"What did you do to him?" Touga grounded out. The red was getting stronger and stronger, spurring him to perform violence. It was with utmost control that he held his savage urges back. He needed to know what happened to his friend.

"Hmph. I roughed him up a bit, but he was too stubborn to admit anything. So I just pulled off his tiny head. _Like that._" Ryuukousei made a snapping gesture with his claws. By the youki swirling around Touga, he knew the dog demon was at his very limit. Yet he still found it entertaining to torment the dog demon. "You should have heard his screams before he-"

There was no warning before Ryuukousei found his back slammed against the ground. Touga was on top of him with vibrant red eyes that glowed a frightening hue. He did not even see the dog demon move. Before he could utter a word, Touga began tearing down on his body with both claws and fangs.

The initial surprise wore off soon as the dragon demon returned the blows with as much fervor. His lengthy body was an advantage, as it allowed his lower body to attack even though his upper body was temporarily restrained. He proceeded to coil his lower body around the dog demon and began constricting tightly, engraving red welts into Touga's body.

Touga, however, paid no heed to the damage that was dealt onto him. In his blood lust, he could barely feel the pain from his muscles being strung tightly, nor the tell-tale creaks of bones as some of it was dislocated. He did not even blink as blood came pouring out of his mouth, a definite sign that certain internal organs were already damaged. All these were nothing compared to the rage he felt as he imagined the method his friend died. Time and again he plunged his claws into the dragon's upper body and placed deep gashes across the dragon's face.

By and by, Ryuukousei realized that he barely had any chance to defend himself with the frenzied rate the dog demon was attacking him with. Countering the attacks was out of the question now. The only thing he could do was continue to add pressure into his constrictions. He had not expected the dog demon to react so violently against his words.

Both armies halted in mid-attack as they watched Touga's magnificent rage. It was a morbidly fascinating sight: the dog demon continually plunging his claws and fangs into the dragon demon's body, staining his silver coat in deep scarlet; the dragon demon, on the other hand, thrashed his body while holding tightly onto the dog general, hoping to off settle his balance. Waves and waves of demonic aura could be felt emanating strongly from Touga, smothering everyone else in the process.

It took no time for Ryuukousei's army to disband itself, frightened as they are by Touga's overpowering presence. Their leader had clearly fallen, and the most judicious choice right now was to retreat before they were killed as well. Many demons abandoned their weapons in the process of their escape.

As his body continued to become mangled under the tireless blows, Ryuukousei decided that enough was enough. He struggled to open his mouth and focus swirls of energy into his mouth. A white ball of light began formulating in his mouth.

"Lord Touga!" Waking up from their trance-like stares at the sight of the dangerous energy, a few of Touga's officer immediately flew towards their leader, trying to bring him out of his mindless aggression. But it was no use - Touga merely ignored their presence.

Fortunately enough for Touga, at the moment that Ryuukousei released the ball of energy, his claws happened to strike Ryuukousei across the mouth, thereby skewing the dragon's line of attack. Instead of hitting him full on, the powered energy shot up his shoulders, tearing an even larger portion of his tissues off. The energy attack also scorched off a large number of his fur and flesh. It was enough to throw him off course with his attacks.

Ryuukousei snarled and made one final deft twist, finally throwing Touga off his battered body. The movement brought spasms of pain shooting down his injured body, threatening to overwhelm him.

"You...will regret this," Ryuukousei gritted out as he curled his body into another one of his notorious offensive coils. He could feel his muscles protesting against the movement as torn flesh rubbed against each other.

Touga veered off to the right when he was thrown away from Ryuukousei's body. Upon seeing the dragon bunched itself again, he made another pounce. To his surprise, rather than coming straight towards him, Ryuukousei propelled himself into the sky.

"Don't think...that you had won." It was the final word before the dragon flew off into the distance.

Touga tried to give chase, but was stopped by one of his officers.

"My Lord, it is ill-advised for you to give chase. Our military has suffered great losses and you are wounded. We cannot risk your life by having you chase after the dragon alone."

"He is wounded severely too. This is our chance to eliminate a threat." Touga hissed angrily.

"But we cannot let you go alone! Please think about your people, your family and yourself! What would happen to them if something happened to you? Please re-consider, my Lord!"

At the mention of his family, a cold chill ran through Touga's frame and his anger deflated. He had all but forgotten about his family recently. A bit of guilt crept into his conscience as he thought about his negligence of his duty as a father. And just like that, as the adrenaline rush wore off, the onslaught of pain came. Touga gasped as he collapsed onto the ground. He became aware of the metallic taste of blood in his mouth along with the protesting creaks of his muscles after such intense usage. His vision blurred slightly.

"Fine, I shall return," Touga concurred, aware now of his weakness. "Bring the injured back and bury the dead. As for the enemy's cadavers, burn them." He forced himself to fly - with some difficulty - back to the palace after giving out his instructions.

* * *

On the other hand, the human settlement had experienced absolute peace. The only one that was put off by the tranquility was Takemaru. Being a man of action in the past, he was not accustomed to being confined within the walls of his new residence. Furthermore, the princess had yet to speak to him since they came here. And to add fire to fuel, he had just received an order from his lord.

Takemaru re-read the message over again, as if scanning it multiple of times would change the writings on the paper. He was quite puzzled and confused by the sudden decree: it stated that he was to stay behind to guard the residence while the lady traveled to meet her father. She would be accompanied by the new guard that her father sent.

It made no sense whatsoever to Takemaru as to why he was suddenly disposed of his title as the lady's escort. The summoning itself was odd in nature. Time and time again he had interrogated the messenger as to the authenticity of the order, and he always received an affirmative.

_Creak._

Takemaru raised his head from the paper to behold the lady walking out of her room. She had regal air about her. Her back was straight with her hands folded in front of her in the typical court lady pose. Her attendant was standing on her right side, holding onto a parasol to block out the sunlight. The lady did not even spare him a glance as she passed by slowly.

Takemaru narrowed his eyes at the attendant. He had found her unconscious a few days back, but she claimed to have no recollection of whatever that transpired. The healers passed it off as a heat stroke, but Takemaru was highly skeptical of it. The whole situation reeked of youkai doing. Yet the priests around the area had assured him that there were no demonic entries across the barrier.

Izayoi held her head up as she carefully made her way to the palanquin, mindful of her protruding stomach and the flea demon hiding underneath her sleeves. She had to make sure that her stomach was suitably covered by the folds of clothing as she walked. When she first sighted Takemaru, she panicked a bit; afraid that the experienced bodyguard was able to detect her facade. That was why she avoided eye contact with the man, knowing full well that he would be able to read her fears. Thankfully, Takemaru did not do anything as they passed over him.

Once inside the cover of the palanquin, Izayoi heaved a sigh of relief and unfolded her arms, rubbing at her stomach in a fond manner. "We are going to see your grandfather now, dear little one."

"Who would have thought that your father agreed so readily to your request?" Myouga said as he jumped out from the sleeves.

"He must have sense the urgency in my letter." The letter that Izayoi had sent requested for a private hearing between her father and her. At the risk of sounding suspicious, she had also asked for Takemaru to be left back at the palace while she made her journey to her father's abode. When her father returned the letter, he had sounded worried - most likely because he thought Takemaru had done something to her to warrant her special request.

The little procession traveled for three days with no disturbance. By the time night fell, Izayoi had safely arrived at her father's house. The whole area was lit by torches and lanterns hanging off roof beams, as if welcoming the lady's return.

"Presenting the lady," a servant announced as Izayoi entered the private dining chamber. It was a small room located behind the official dining chamber, used usually for private conferences between the human lords. Her father had already prepared a table of scrumptious food in anticipation of her arrival. Servants busied about to settle Izayoi down comfortably.

"Good evening father," Izayoi bowed her head in deference. It hadn't been that long - in fact, it had only been two weeks and a half - since she last met her father, but his appearance had aged significantly.

Her father only nodded passingly at her greeting. He made sure to withhold any comment until the servants have all left the area. "What is it that you wish to discuss with me?"

_Business as usual_, Izayoi thought to herself. That was just like her father, always jumping to the serious parts right away. She tried to keep her beating heart under control as she thought of how she would breach the topic of pregnancy with her father. At long last she settled upon a direct approach, simply because beating around the bush would not get them anywhere.

"I am pregnant."

The wine in her father's hand tipped precariously as he sucked in a huge breath. "Takemaru?" Even though he tried to sound calm, the shaking breath as he said the name belied his fears and rage.

"No, Lord Touga."

Another sharp inhale was taken as the human lord slowly placed his cup on the table, in case he should accidentally tilt it again. It took him awhile to match the name to a face, and when he did, he almost choked on his drink.

"When did it happen?" It was a rhetorical question. There was only one time that this could happen, and it was during the time that Izayoi was staying within the mountains.

"During the brevity that I was in the mountains," Izayoi answered, confirming his suspicions. "It was a consensual event." She finished before allowing her father speak again to avoid any misunderstandings.

"And why would you do it? Why would you perform such an intimate gesture with a demon before you were even married?" Her father howled in rage as he slammed his fist onto the table. "Do you even know what consequences that would have on our name? On your own future?"

"Because I am in love with him!" Izayoi countered, raising her voice a few octaves to show her conviction. "Because I have been in love with him ever since I met him three years ago. That was why I did it, and I did not regret a single moment of it."

The lord stared incredulously at his daughter, but saw the firm look in her eyes. She was absolutely unwavering in her belief. It somehow reminded him of his days with his late wife, when love was still such a young and precious thing. Even though they have also married out of an arrangement, they were at least able to love another. He had seen that same look before between Izayoi and Touga when they met briefly during the attack. It was also that same look that made him begin to doubt his long-held notion of the divide between humans and demons. But he cannot yield. He flashed his triumph card. "You are well aware of his marriage status?"

Izayoi looked down at her folded hands, feeling slightly depressed suddenly. "Yes, I am well aware that he has a wife and a son."

"And that doesn't deter you in the least?"

"I've considered it carefully before, and it is only natural that I feel perturbed by the fact that my lover is already married. However, if fate is the one that brought us together, then I cannot argue against it. Nor will I go against my heart." Izayoi looked up again at her father in defiance. "Even if I cannot be with him, I still wish to keep our child."

Izayoi's father sighed in exasperation as he listened to his daughter. It would seem that she had already made up her mind on a particular issue. That streak of stubbornness must have been inherited from her strong-willed mother. "I take it then that you come here to speak to me about the child and his status. What is your request?"

"Father, I wish for you to provide protection for the child in the name of our household. I am sure that you are aware of how much Sir Takemaru despises the demon race. I worried that his discovery of my pregnancy would force him to make a radical move. As such, my child and my current position are not safe. I humbly request you to protect this child." During her talk, Izayoi had migrated from her side of the table to kneel before her father, begging him with both her voice and posture. "You need not give concern over my well-being, but I beseech you to protect this child."

There was a stagnant silence after Izayoi's outburst. Izayoi continued to train her eyes to the ground, interpreting the silence as rejection and fearing to look into her father's derisive face.

"Stand up; the cold floor cannot be salubrious for your child."

Izayoi could not believe her ears. Was that a sign of acceptance? She felt her father's rough hands help her up from the ground and guide her back to her seat.

In truth, her father was only trying to buy time as he mulled things over. The information was too sudden, but he found himself strangely accepting of the situation. It had worried and angered him at first, but then it had also excited him. How long had it been since he last prayed for grandchildren? He remembered that it was one of the many things he would discuss with his wife during the nights they spent together. His vision of an heir might finally be realized, even though it was not in the way that he intended it to be.

"While I cannot comprehend why you would perform such an outrageous deed, I know for certain that I cannot leave the child alone, especially if the child contains my bloodline. However, your actions are also deserving of a punishment. Any information that leaked about your pregnancy would severely tarnish our household's reputation. No, I need to think of something…" The lord muttered to himself as he paced around the room. "But there is also the problem with Takemaru. If I call him back here now and replace him with someone else, he would undoubtedly be suspicious and nag me to no end. No no, I have got to do something else so that he is not with us...yes, that's it! He needs not be with us. I will send him away!"

Izayoi watched in fascination as her father talked to himself to sort through his thoughts. It seemed that the situation was finally turning hopeful. She looked down at her sleeves and smiled at Myouga, who was hiding carefully. The flea demon returned with a nod.

"I will take a while to decide my course of actions. For now, you will remain here until I have made the proper arrangements."

"Thank you, father," Izayoi bowed once again. His response had been better than anticipated and she was glad that not too much drama happened.

Five days later, Izayoi awaited in the same room for her father's decision. She gulped nervously as she watched her father enter the room. His expression was carefully neutral so that she couldn't discern whether the news was good or bad.

"Izayoi."

Said woman immediately glanced up, her eyes portraying a mixture of fear and anticipation.

"I have given some thoughts as to your request. Like I said, I cannot forgive you for conducting such a blasphemous behavior. If any words of your pregnancy became known, people will immediately start talking and I would lose my status in our society."

With each word, Izayoi's hopeful mood fell. Her father was not accepting of the child.

"However, like I said before, I cannot deny the fact that the child is of my bloodline as well." Izayoi looked up at this. "Therefore, after giving careful considerations, I have determined that your punishment would be to hide forever from the eyes of the elite society. In another words, you will have to move even further to a more remote location. You will forever remain inside that new residence that I have bequeathed you and never show your face beyond its walls. I will have the servants and soldiers that accompany you there sworn to secrecy. On the other hand, I will also accept your request. By transferring you away, you will be protected from the prying eyes of the nobles. I will claim that you have fallen ill with a disease, and therefore is forever kept away. At the same time, I will also transfer Takemaru away and assign you a new escort. That is as generous as I will go."

Izayoi couldn't believe her ears. Being moved away to a more remote area didn't bother her in the least. It was not like she hadn't been living a life of seclusion for the past two and a half weeks. What does it matter if she had to live like that for the rest of her life? All that she cared was that her child was protected and that Takemaru no longer present a threat.

"Thank you very much, father. You have done a lot for me." Izayoi couldn't contain herself as she went to hug her father.

Her father was thrown off by the sudden intimate gesture and hesitantly returned her affection. He smiled tentatively back. "Now go get ready. I already have the servants pack your belongings."

Izayoi nodded, giving her father one final embrace before hurrying out of the room.

As he watched his daughter go, tears began to gather at her father's eyes. "I wish you the best of luck, as you are condemned to a fate of ridicule and peril the moment your child is conceived. That is a punishment far worse than what I gave."

* * *

Takemaru could not believe his eyes as he reread the message once again. This was the second time that his lord had surprised him, over the course of one week no less! First he was denied the privilege of accompanying his lady to her father's palace. Now he was not only deprived of his title as her escort, he was also asked to move out of the area. The reason for moving was that the lord suspected demonic activities in nearby territories, and therefore has sent him on a wide patrol of the areas. What was preposterous was that the lady was moving too, but he was not informed of the location.

"What is the meaning of this?" Takemaru asked the new escort that had just gave the letter to him. The man looked to be in his early fifties, slightly chubby with a bored expression. How could such a man be qualified as the lady's escort?

The man merely shrugged in a nonchalant manner, not caring in the least. All he knew was that the lord had sworn him to secrecy about everything he knew and saw in his future residence. "It was his lordship's command, so please abide accordingly."

Takemaru's brows twitched slightly in annoyance at the man's condescending attitude. He looked back at his belongings which were being carried out by servants. He was forced to make the transfer today. "Is there no chance of me speaking to my lord?"

"I am afraid not. The order specifies for you to leave towards the southern post by today. Please do not defy the lord's order."

"Understood," Takemaru grinded out as he watched the last of his few luggage being deposited on the horses. He glanced at Izayoi's room, hoping to catch sight of the princess before he departed. But the doors were closed tightly, withholding from him his last chance of seeing his beloved princess.

Takemaru sighed heavily and turned away from the doors. _I will get to the bottom of this absurdity._ He vowed to himself before riding his horse bound towards the south.

"Is he gone?" Myouga cautiously peeked over the window ledge. He sighed in relief when he saw the retreating back of the former-bodyguard. The man's constant presence was too intimidating, and he had truly enjoyed the one week at Izayoi's father's palace, away from the ex-bodyguard.

"We are safe for now." Izayoi imitated Myouga's sigh, glad that a major threat was over. She would depart a day after Takemaru, to ensure that the man didn't follow them.

"Now then, my lady, I am afraid I have to leave." Myouga hopped onto Izayoi's open palm to execute a bow. "As promised, I have seen you to your father and back again, obtaining the required protection for you. Now I need to return to my lord and inform him of the current situation."

Izayoi felt her heart constrict at the mention of the demon lord's name. What would happen once he heard of the news? Would he come for her? Despite her reservations about letting Touga learn of his bastard son and her considerations for his family, she wanted to see him again, to hear him talk, to just bask in his presence. Would things change for the better from now on? At the same time, she was also hesitant about letting Myouga, the last person that she could trust in her current environment, go.

"I might sound selfish, but could you stay for a little longer? Just until I settle down in my new house?"

Myouga pushed his brows together. There was logic in her words. If he had left now, he would not have known where the lord had sent his daughter. By accompanying her, he would stay out of danger a bit longer and learn of the location of her new house. _Staying a bit longer...wouldn't hurt...would it?_

* * *

Ryuukousei snarled every now and then as what was left of his subjects tended to his wounds. Usually his wounds heal in the span of a few minutes, but this time, the injuries were deep enough to immobilize him for a few hours. He hated feeling the weakness in his limbs as the tissues try to reorganize themselves. At this rate, it would take him a few days to heal completely.

"Can't you even wrap properly?" He hissed at a servant and proceeded to crush him completely under his claws. The satisfaction of feeling bones and flesh disintegrating underneath his hands felt rejuvenating. "Bring them in."

A few demons were dragged inside the cave by Ryuukousei's soldiers. They struggled vainly as they regarded the dragon demon with fear. Even in this state, Ryuukousei was not someone to tamper with.

"How does it feel to abandon the fields?" Ryuukousei asked in a saccharine tone.

"I...I..." the demons stammered and stuttered over their words. They didn't expect themselves to be caught so fast.

"You know, while I don't usually care about beings like you, I am in a rather foul mood right now, and you guys just happened to have wronged me by escaping." Ryuukousei's breath fanned over the few demons as they cowered even further.

"Please- please, I know we were wro-"

The demons didn't even have the chance to finish their words before they were engulfed by Ryuukousei's mouth. In no time, the demons were consumed. He licked his lips. The energy from consuming the demons would help him in healing. "That felt much better."

_I may have undermined the dog this time, but next time, he wouldn't be as lucky._ Ryuukousei closed his eyes as he retreated into a deep slumber.

* * *

**Long long A/N:**

Finally finished with another chapter. I was actually stuck on this for a long time - I reconsidered the scenes that were shown in the movie, and it just didn't make sense to me why Takemaru had not taken any actions and killed Izayoi earlier if he was in the same house as she was. And why were there soldiers defending Izayoi from Touga? That would mean that in the span of the time between them meeting and her giving birth, Touga had not visited Izayoi. And...argh, it was all so confusing and not fitting with the timeline in my story. So yeah...I delayed writing the chapter until I have even a semi-inkling of what to do with the plot.

Anyhow, a few things to note:

1. I have reviewed the Inuyasha fandom again and realized that I have misspelled 'Ryuukousei' into 'Ryuukotsusei'. At the time when I read that arc, I had read it in Chinese, so I didn't know that it was spelled wrong. Forgive me for the errors...

2. I actually am not sure on this point myself...but in the anime, Touga's title Inu no taishou referred to dog 'general'. So when it comes to referring the higher rankings of demons underneath him, I was slightly confused about what to call them. Here I'm just going to loosely refer to them as 'officers' - for a lack of better terminologies. I know in Chinese that there are many levels of ranking, but I'm just not sure how it would translate into English .

3. Takemaru can read...at least in my fic...though that is highly unlikely given his status of a samurai at that time period. But I just thought that it would sound cooler if he read out the command himself rather than having some messenger report it to him (god knows how many times I have used a scout or messenger to relay information in this story...)

4. In accordance with the whole hierarchy system thingamajig, I know that I used the term 'princess' and 'lady' interchangeably in the past few chapters and this chapter as well. Once again, I used it in a loose form to refer to generally any lady of high status. I did not intend for Izayoi to be the daughter of the Emperor of Japan when I use 'princess'. I just don't want to repetitively use 'lady' over and over again W

Not sure if anyone picked up on all these minor things, but I just thought I should clarify a bit since it has certainly been bothering me. xD

Now on towards the reply board:

**PrincessOfTheNight01**: Once again, glad that you enjoyed the story so far! I have tried to utilize as much canonical stuff as possible (even though Rumiko Takahashi hasn't revealed much about the characters themselves). Thank you for your support!

**ALiC.P**: Not yet, not yet, Myouga still has a while before he has to deliver the news (which I did on purpose which I will hopefully clarify in the future)! I will try to insert more Sesshoumaru and his mother's moments in the story as well, since I have been pretty much pushing them aside and I know some readers are interested in what happened to them. Nonetheless, I greatly appreciate your continual support 3 It always makes me so happy to read your detailed review ^_^

**CrimsonDream01**: Updated! :D

**SplendaChan**: Hahaha I am happy that you think this is not OOC. It was hard trying to ascribe personalities to them when we know little about the characters themselves (except for Sesshoumaru, but he's not really the major character in this story). Thanks for reviewing ^_^


End file.
